


Cardcaptor Izuku

by Myven_Nightshade



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: 1-A lowkey fears Izuku now, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead Needs a Break, Aizawa is intrigued, All Might is...sus..., All of 1-A is in here, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Mineta Minoru Doesn't Exist, Bakugou Katsuki Redemption, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings, But Izuku doesn't know him, Canon-Typical Violence, Cardcaptor Midoriya Izuku, Cardcaptor Shenanigains, Crack Treated Seriously, Dead Midoriya Hisashi, Except Todorki- he has one (1) fear, Exposition Heavy in the First Chapter, F/F, F/M, Fly is baby, Heavy Angst, I'm kidding, I'm only tagging the characters that are "noteable", In this house we don't forgive abusers, Is All Might Suspicious?, Is Izuku God? More at 11, Kero is So Done, Kinomoto Sakura (Mentioned) - Freeform, Kirishima Eijirou Has One For All Quirk, Li Syaoran (Mentioned) - Freeform, Liberal Take on Magic Systems, Light Angst, M/M, Manipulative Nedzu (My Hero Academia), Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Minor Character Death, No more "light" nonsense, Not Clear Card Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Pre-Canon, Pre-Quirk Memes, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Rated for Bakugou Katsuki's Language, References to Cardcaptor Sakura, Semi-Crack, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, This Is Rough Writing, Who Knows?, and he has to work for it, as a treat, at least, but only to the police and hero commission, i think so, idk why, it's subtle though, just did, just not really...talked to, without genuine reason, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 87,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myven_Nightshade/pseuds/Myven_Nightshade
Summary: Without warning, a golden plush lion with white wings and beady eyes burst from the bag. “Well hey!” It shouted, scaring Izuku so badly he yelped, tripped over his own feet, and fell to the ground. “Now that’s just rude, you know?”“I’m dead. This isn’t real. This is a hallucination brought on from being in a coma; Bakugou went too far and now I’m in a hospital. Maybe a random villain has a hallucination-making Quirk. This isn’t real.” Izuku mumbled to himself all the different ways that the plush couldn’t be talking, his speculations becoming more outrageous by the second-and faster, too.“Woah, Woah,” the plush said, raising its arms in a placating manner, “slow down there, Midori!”“It knows half my name!” Izuku squeaked, scampering backward a few centimeters.“Dude, stop…” The flying lion plush sweatdropped at his reaction.-----Midoriya Izuku finds himself the owner of the Sakura Book; a book containing fifty-three magical Sakura Cards. Well, he would be the owner of fifty-three magical Sakura Cards if they hadn’t flown away!Join Izuku on his quest to become a great hero while collecting cards and friends along the way!
Relationships: Ashido Mina & Kaminari Denki & Kirishima Eijirou & Sero Hanta, Bakugou Katsuki & Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki & Shinsou Hitoshi, Bakugou Masaru & Midoriya Inko, Bakugou Masaru/Bakugou Mitsuki, Bakugou Mitsuki & Midoriya Inko, Dark Shadow & Midoriya Izuku, Jirou Kyouka & Kaminari Denki, Keroberos | Cerberus & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Hisashi/Midoriya Inko (past), Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Tokoyami Fumikage, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 218
Kudos: 198
Collections: midoriya has abilities/powers that aren't quirks





	1. Never Had A Deck Of Cards Been So Dangerous!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [brilliant lights will cease to burn (by my hand i'll reignite them)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12252606) by [novalotypo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/novalotypo/pseuds/novalotypo). 



> Wow, okay, so this is my first time posting to this fandom, so please take care of me.  
> Also, I know that this chapter is, like, 12,855 words long--38 pages--just know that the next chapters are literally 1/3 of that size, so... sorry about that.
> 
> Oh! Some /quirks/ that I have in my writing:  
> I don't really like having numbers in my text, so I type them all out in the event I need them.  
> I also like to use the Romaji for spelling words that aren't English, so that's why it's "Bakugou" and "Orudera".  
> Tags for relationships, characters, and others will be added as the story progresses, that way I don't "spoil" my own story so to speak.
> 
> Hopefully, my writing isn't a bore or feels too rushed, but I encourage your readership... Is that a word? IDK, but yeah.
> 
> Have fun!
> 
> (Edit from the future! Um...I really like people's comments, and I think some things might make more sense if you looked at them after each chapter, if that makes sense? Not required, but they're fun! And might explain a bit more! Just a note. Have fun!!!)

_ It was dark, but the moon was full and bright, casting everything around him in a silvery glow. The city he was standing over was flooded with lights, shining and blinking, unnoticed by the boy now standing atop the roof of the tallest building around. _

What… This dream?

_ In the distance, Tokyo Tower stood, its bright red and white metal beams stood out against the black backdrop that is the night sky; the stars were twinkling but in the presence of the moon and the city they were washed out. _

Where…? ...A roof?

_ From above it rained cards. The tall, pink-backed cards fell down everywhere that he could see, an endless supply raining down from the cloudless night sky. To his right floated an animal unlike any other he’d seen before; a golden coat with white wings that didn’t move as it hovered by his shoulder, a tail swishing back and forth as the two waited. _

What...am I wearing? What am I...holding?

_ It was time. Gripping the green staff adorned with a star, he fell. The air whipped past his ears, his cape and skirt billowed outward as his shoes gained wings along the ankle. He was closer to the ground now, near enough that he could make out the individual bricks of the sidewalk. _

Why...did I jump?! What was that...animal? Why…!

\-----

Izuku groaned as his head hit the unforgiving floor, the incessant beeping of his alarm exacerbating his blossoming headache. Blinking back the beginnings of tears, the green-haired boy kneeled as he slammed his alarm’s silencer, finally letting the boy have some quiet.  _ ‘That dream again…’ _ Izuku was gently taken from his thoughts when his mother’s voice came from the hall.

“Izuku? Are you okay there?”

“Yeah, mom; I’m good!” Wincing as his joints popped, he got up from the floor before sitting on his bed. ‘ _ That dream...that’s the third time I’ve had it in two weeks, _ ’ he thought to himself.

“Izuku, you’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up!” His mother’s voice rang clearly through the air from the kitchen, the smell of omurice following closely behind. Not wanting to gain his mother’s ire, Izuku began the long and arduous process that is getting ready for middle school.

Midoriya Izuku, a third-year at Orudera Middle School. He’s fairly normal with his plain-looking face covered in freckles, as well as his unruly green bush of hair just add to his ‘normal’ appearance. In every way he is average physically; not the best in P.E., but not the worst either, and his body reflects that with its thin layer of baby fat over his lean muscle.

The most  _ not _ normal thing about him is that he isn’t quirky. Literally. In the world that he lives in eighty percent of the population around the world has a superpower called a quirk. These range from ‘having gills’ to ‘conjuring invisible strands of sticky, stretchy substances’; if you can think of a quirk, someone out in the world has it. Everyone except Izuku. Well,  _ mostly _ everyone.

Somehow, despite having fourth-generation quirk users as parents, Midoriya Izuku was born as one of the twenty percent in the world that are deemed quirkless. He can’t use his mother’s minor telekinesis on his shoes, he can’t breathe fire like his father could, nor can he fly or conjure constructs of light. Midoriya Izuku is like one-fifth of the population, and yet he’s a freak.

As he says goodbye to his mother, leaving for school, he thinks about his life so far in quirked society. Up until he was four years old everything was going great; he had a best friend, the teachers loved him, and other parents allowed him to play with their kids. But when that fateful doctor’s visit happened, confirming that he won’t ever gain a quirk, everything changed.

His best friend of four years became his worst enemy, using his quirk--Explosion--to injure him while his peers cheered him on or even joined in. Now his teachers are indifferent; whether he gets full marks or zero, he’s ignored. The parents at the nearby park know him and force their kids away whenever he arrives, not wanting their children to ‘catch’ quirklessness.

It sucks, but that’s life for the minority. Now, the twenty percent statistic might have people believe that one out of every five people is quirkless, but that is a lie propagated by the world government. The reality of the situation is that fewer quirkless people are being born yearly; the census put out last year revealed only five percent of the world’s children in the range of newborn-to-four year-olds.

Even with the bleak statistics, Izuku wanted to make it in the world. With quirks came superheroes, better known as pro heroes. Izuku, even with the discriminatory backlash he receives for not having a quirk, plans on becoming a hero and saving anyone that he can. It was the first day back after fall break, meaning that they would be doing future evaluations. The school counselors would do their best at dissuading him from his dream, but Izuku had a plan to make it a reality.

Since elementary, heroes have dominated everything about Izuku’s life. Coupled with the dream to be a hero, Izuku trained; going on runs, lifting weights in the apartment, following an online diet plan, and even community service in the form of cleaning a trash-filled beach two kilometers from his apartment complex every other day. 

Of course, that training doesn’t matter when you’re assaulted by a classmate’s quirk nearly every day; an explosion to the face can freak anyone out, causing them to fall over and flinch. Like he is doing, right now.

“Stupid fucking  _ Deku _ !” Enter one Bakugou Katsuki, Izuku’s most dangerous bully, and the ‘most hero-worthy student’ at Orudera. “You know better than to try and walk in front of me!”

‘ _ It’s ironic, how the most ‘hero-worthy’ of students acts the most like an actual villain, according to law, and the most ‘useless’ one acts the most like a hero. _ ’

“What are you smiling about, shitty Deku?!” ‘ _ Oh, he’s still there _ .’ “You gonna fucking fight back?!” 

‘ _ Of course not. The moment I even _ try _ to fight I’m sent to the office and then suspended. _ ’ It was true. Quirkless, in a society built on quirks, meant discrimination from everyone. Heck, not even Inko, his mother, is immune; her colleagues at the hospital make remarks about Izuku whenever she’s around.

Eventually, Bakugou got it through his head that Izuku’s continued existence isn’t a personal sleight against him and left. Picking himself up, Izuku sighed as he checked to make sure his hearing wasn’t permanently damaged. Thankfully it wasn’t, meaning he could get on with his day relatively fine.

The first class of the day was homeroom, and since this week was ‘future planning week’ it would start off as informatics on what we might want to be, which high schools would be the best to attain the job you wanted, and what colleges to try for. So, when Matsuyama-sensei enters the classroom, almost immediately everyone stops talking in order to begin the instructions.

“I should be passing out these forms for you to fill out, telling us teachers what you want to be in the future…” Sensei is holding a stack of the forms that Izuku can’t wait to get his hands on; maybe this year the counselors won’t put him down for no reason. “But I know you all just want to be heroes!” The stack goes flying and with it all of Izuku’s remaining respect for Matsuyama-sensei.

Rather than actually do the required lecture for their year, he just  _ assumed _ they all want to be heroes. In the back corner, Izuku can hear Kataoka-kun, Obi-kun, and Mukai-chan all discussing the fact they want to be archeologists, and the Miyahara twins are loudly talking about trying to reignite space-transversing technologies. Heck, Matsuoka-kun’s little posse--the ones with the most obvious mutant quirks, about three of them-- are talking about how they'd rather go into construction or physical labor.

Too bad Matsuyama-sensei can’t hear them because of all the quirk usage in the background--but still, eight out of twenty, nearly  _ half _ the class  _ doesn’t _ want to be a hero, and here their teacher was just spitting in their faces.

“You guys know you’re not supposed to use your quirks in class…” Sensei’s attempt at quieting the students is...pathetic at best. Only seven are even using them, while the rest of the five other hero-hopefuls give glares. Izuku just puts his head down, ready for English class to begin.

An explosion sounds, bringing everyone’s attention to the ashen blond sitting right in front of Izuku. “Hey teach!” ‘ _ God, can he just shut up?’ _ “Don’t lump me together with these  _ extras! _ I’m going to UA to become the number one hero!”

The effect that big-headed-Bakugou wanted is achieved; the class breaks out into murmurs about UA being extremely competitive, their entrance rate is extremely low, and why would Bakugou let his future ride on something like that?

“Shut it! I aced the mock exams they put out every time! You all can complain, but you’re just stepping stones in my path to greatness!”

‘ _ Man, he needs a reality check. Being a hero isn’t just about ‘winning’, it’s about saving the civilians  _ first _. It’s quite literally the first lesson in Foundational Heroics for first-years at  _ any _ hero school.’ _

Izuku, ears still ringing slightly from the proximity of the explosion that Bakugou should be sent to the office for, just barely hears Matsuyama-sensei’s next words, but he wishes he didn’t. “Oh yeah, Midoriya-kun, you also wanted to go to UA, right?”

Knowing what came next, the quirkless teen immediately grabs his bag, plants his feet, and pushes his chair as far away from his desk as possible, turning his head to mitigate the damage to his face. In that next split second an explosion the size of his head detonates right where his head would have been had he not moved. “ _ Deku! _ Are you kidding me?!” Bakugou growls, his need to make everything about himself showing.

“Wh-what? No! I’ve been training to get into UA; I have just as much a chance as any…” The green-haired teen trails off, hearing his classmates jeer at him.

“Seriously, Deku? You’re quirkless! You wouldn’t even make it past the front gate!”

“Like they would ever accept  _ you _ into the hero course!”

“You should just give up, before you hurt yourself, Deku!”

“I don’t think anyone would want a Deku saving them, ever.”

He tried to ignore them; he’s heard it all before, and it’s not like they’re original. “They repealed the quirkless bar for the hero course seven years ago! There’s no harm in trying!” Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to say, if Bakugou’s heated glare was anything to say about it.

“ _ Deku _ , If you even  _ think _ that you can even be on the same stage as  _ me _ , then you’ve got another thing coming!”

The explosive blond was just about to detonate another explosion at the quirkless teen before Matsuyama-sensei spoke up-- _ for once _ . “Now, now; Bakugou, you know the rules: no using your quirks in school.” The silent ‘but outside, I don’t care’ was heard by everyone in the room.

Eventually, the class got settled once again, but the tension never left Bakugou’s shoulders. How they haven’t collapsed from holding up his ego and all that tension, Izuku will never know, and he likely never will, because at the moment the final bell rang, the violent blond snagged Izuku’s bag and set off an explosion at his chest.

“ _ Deku. _ ”

‘ _ Wow, he sounds like a broken record; maybe someone should send him to therapy and get that fixed? _ ’

“Don’t even try for UA. All the top heroes have stories of how they were great, even in middle school; if I want my story to be perfect, I can’t have a worthless Deku like you messing it up.”

Izuku doesn’t respond. He’s sitting in his chair, watching as Bakugou does the same old song and dance. “You’re just a pebble on my way to greatness, Deku.” It looks like he might end the session with just a few explosions, but then Morioka-kun, one of Bakugou’s ‘friends’ points to the cover of a notebook in Izuku’s bag.

“‘Hero Analysis For the Future’?! You can’t become a hero just by  _ studying _ , Deku! A person like you, a quirkless  _ freak _ hasn’t got a chance!” Bakugou sneers at his friend's voice, but pulls out the offending notebook, dropping the bag and letting its contents spill onto the floor.

“It seems like you _really haven’t_ given up, huh, Deku?” Holding the notebook between his palms, Bakugou gets a vicious smirk on his face--some might even call it _villainous_. “How about I give you a little nudge, remove the false hope you still have.” Knowing what is coming, and not wanting all of the precious data he’s compiled to be wasted, Izuku tries to reach out and take the notebook back before a tragedy happens. Of course, he’s too late and the explosive blast pushes him back a full meter, the ashes of the book falling to the floor.

Finally done, Bakugou and his lackeys leave the room, but not before the blond stops in the doorway, another sneer on his face. “Hey, you still want a quirk, right?” It’s rhetorical, but the answer is still a ‘no’. “Well, I’ve got a time-saving idea for you!” Bakugou pauses, looking right at Izuku when he says, “If you want a quirk so badly, just take a swan dive off the roof; pray you get a quirk in the next life!” He laughs patronizingly, his lackeys laughing with him as they slam the classroom door closed, leaving their green-haired target to continue standing there, watching the door in disbelief.

\-----

_ “If you want a quirk so badly, just take a swan dive off the roof!” _ The blond tormentor’s words echo in his head as he packs his notebook--ashes flaking off every now and then--into his bag, straightening out the contents. Putting the incident behind him, Izuku leaves the school, walking aimlessly as his thoughts run wild.

‘ _ You’re actually more stupid than I thought you were, Bakugou. If I were to actually follow through on your ‘advice’ then you would be blacklisted from every hero school in the country and sent to a Villain Rehabilitation Center for at least a year; also, the school would shut down within the month due to everyone participating in the harassment, bullying, and quirk assault. _ ’

The short teen shook his head, looking up from the path that he’d been following since he’d left the school building. ‘ _ Is this even the way home? _ ’ Izuku shrugged, continued on his way, passing little shops that give off a ‘homey-type feel. He’s never actually been on this street before, but it doesn’t really matter so long as he gets home before eight.

As he reads the sign of one  _ Okumura's Coffee & Cats _ , his phone buzzes. Pulling it out reveals that it’s an All Might Alert; the number one hero has been spotted at the intersection of Twenty-Third street and Sunrise Boulevard-  _ ‘that’s along my normal path home! _ ’ He continues to read the article.

[“Today, Musutafu has been graced with the presence of the number one hero All Might. This morning he was seen bounding across the city, and when he heard the cries from a villain attack, he jumped into action! Chasing the now-identified villain Sugawara Rokuro after he robbed  _ Shiba & Endo Jewellers _ , All Might eventually caught him after a twenty-minute chase in the Musutafu sewer system.

“As of now, All Might has not taken any calls, and after the police took his statement of the incident, he leaped away. Any further information on  _ why _ the Symbol of Peace was in Musutafu in the first place is nothing but speculation, but the most prominent theories are either he is 1) visiting his old sidekick, Sir Nighteye, or, 2) going to drop in on UA’s hero course students for an impromptu lecture.”]

Izuku was stunned. If he had happened to follow his normal route home, he might have gotten to see All Might in action! Maybe he could have gotten All Might to sign his notebook! The green-haired teen was so giddy with the news that he didn’t see the person in front of him. The collision between the unknown stranger and Izuku sent the middle schooler sprawling to the side, hitting a storefront’s door in his attempt to not fall.

“Ah! I’m so sorry!” Green eyes tried to find the person he’d run into, but they already left. ‘ _ Guess they were in a hurry, _ ’ he mused, looking around. Pulling himself up from his heavy leaning against the door, Izuku looked at the sign;  _ Enomoto Hoshi’s Reading Nook. _ Seeing as he was already there, he might as well go in, and maybe they have better books about physical fitness than the library.

The door chimed as he entered the little shop, allowing him to see the warm ambiance of the store. Lining the walls were shelves, each one stocked full of books, reaching the ceiling. Making small rows, shelves that were just barely taller than Izuku himself covered the main floor of the store, leaving a reading area in the center. 

Following the topics, Izuku made his way through the rows until he made it to the outer edge; seven rows of  _ Physical Health _ books greeted him and he made quick work of trying to find one that would improve upon his training habits.

He’s scanned three rows when something heavy hits Izuku on the back. Thinking it’s a person that he bumped into, he turns around; “I’m so sorry! I didn't mean to-” He cuts himself off. There was no one behind him. ‘ _ Strange...I’m sure I hit something, _ ’ he thought, looking around.

In his sweep of the row with his eyes, Izuku saw a flash of pink on the otherwise red carpet. Looking down he saw a book. In bright contrast, the book was pink with golden accents. Bending down he picked it up, then looked to the shelf along the wall. ‘ _ It must have fallen out after someone put it away, not securing its place, _ ’ he mused.

Looking at its front, the first thing that caught his eye was the chained sun sitting before a winged, golden lion with silver armor. The next big thing was how, instead of a title, the name  _ Sakura _ was ‘printed’ on a banner at the top, sitting above a ten-pointed star with wings. While it’s not the strangest book to be made in the quirk-era, it still is pretty weird, especially in the  _ Physical Health _ section of a bookstore.

Turning it around revealed that it had a locked clasp, the wing lock connected to a pink strap that was secured in place by a metal buckle on the back. ‘ _ This looks like it should belong in the ‘Journal’ section _ ,’ he thought, continuing his look over of the book as he walked to the appropriate section. 

As he walked, his eyes traced over the intricate pattern of what looked like a ‘magic circle’. In the center of a twelve-pointed star sat the ten-pointed golden and pink star; on the left sat a waning crescent moon, and on the right was a sun. At the cardinal directions, like a compass, were the Kanji for North, East, South, and West; between the outer, compass-like ring and the twelve-pointed star, sat the symbols of the occidental zodiac. Beneath all of that sat an upward-facing golden crescent with wings, a banner with  _ Sakura _ printed beneath it.

It was a cool looking book, and while Izuku might have wanted to buy it just for the aesthetic of the sun, moon, and stars, he didn’t need it. Also, while he doesn’t mind pink at all, he knows his classmates will find some way to make fun of him. Rather than take that risk, Izuku finally makes it to the  _ Journal _ section, setting the  _ Sakura _ journal back on the shelf.

Time passes and the book is gone from his mind; preoccupied with finding a proper fitness guide book, Izuku’s green eyes trailed over countless spines.  _ Doctor Nakai Kin’s Guide to Strengthening Your Quirk, _ no, he doesn’t have a quirk.  _ Hasegawa Tetsuo’s Quirk Training Guide, _ again, no quirk.

Dejected, Izuku let out a long-suffering sigh, tired of reading all the titles of quirk training guides when he doesn’t have one. Ready to be done with all the reminders of this morning, Izuku hoists his bag up and turns to the door, but not before something bright catches his eye.

There, on the shelf that he’d placed the  _ Sakura _ journal, was what looked like a glowing bar sitting between the books. Curious as ever, the quirkless boy got closer. With each step the glowing subsided a bit more until he was grabbing the spine, pulling out- the  _ Sakura  _ book?

‘ _ What made it glow? _ ’ The teen wondered, looking around for other patrons of the bookstore. ‘ _ Did someone use a quirk on it? Is this a selling technique this store uses? Maybe the book was printed using quirk-affected objects, giving it the latent power to glow? Either way, this book glows and that’s cool. _ ’

Mind made, Izuku decided he’d buy it, not really caring for the consequences at this point. It glows; that’s really all the reason he needs in his quest to record quirks and their effects. As he walked to the register next to the door, Izuku couldn’t help but think of the clasp. ‘ _ It’s locked, but there doesn’t seem to be an attached key… Maybe the store separates them so no one can steal it without damaging the intricate design? _ ’ He shrugged, figuring he’d find out sooner or later, now that he’s ready to pay.

“Hello,” the employee--Enomoto, her tag read--greeted; “Find anything you liked?” Izuku gave a small, shy smile. It was always hit and miss with who knew he was quirkless in Lower Musutafu.

“Y-yeah, I did,” he said, nodding and placed the journal on the counter. “I was wondering: the key for this journal; does it come separate, or is it not really locked?”

“Oh, this old thing?” Enomoto-san said, picking up the book. She turned it over and then placed it back on the counter between them. “This is actually from my father’s collection that I have here in the store.”

“Oh! I can put it back-”

“No, no, they’re meant to be sold; he was a bit of a hoarder back in his day, so I’m glad that others find his books to be enjoyable.” She hummed, looking back at the book. “As for a key, it’s not really locked, just a magnet- here, try it.” Complying, Izuku grabbed the clasp, and as Enomoto-san said, it came undone easily.

“Oh, you’re right!” He closed the clasp again, feeling embarrassed at the mistake he made.

Enomoto-san smiled, “Of course! Now, for this book, I’ll have to charge you five-hundred yen. Deal?” Izuku nodded and handed over the yen note. Completing the purchase, the green teen made his way out of the shop, using his phone to navigate the unfamiliar streets. 

\-----

About two blocks from his apartment complex, a noise came from his bag. Startled, the boy stopped, grabbed the offending object, and peered inside.

Without warning, a golden plush lion with white wings and beady eyes burst from the bag. “Well hey!” It shouted, scaring Izuku so badly he yelped, tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. “Now that’s just rude, you know?”

“I’m dead. This isn’t real. This is a hallucination brought on from being in a coma; Bakugou went too far and now I’m in a hospital. Maybe a random villain has a hallucination-making quirk. This isn’t real.” Izuku mumbled to himself all the different ways that the plush  _ couldn’t _ be talking, his speculations becoming more outrageous by the second-and faster, too.

“Woah, Woah,” the plush said, raising its arms in a placating manner, “slow down there, Midori!”

“It knows half my name!” Izuku squeaked, scampering backward a few centimeters.

“Dude, stop…” The flying lion plush sweatdropped at his reaction. “My name is Keroberos, and I am the Beast of the Seal,” he--Keroberos--stated proudly, if the paw on his chest said anything. 

Finally getting his erratic breathing under some semblance of control, Izuku got up on shaky legs. “O-okay, K-kero...beros?” Keroberos’ eyes gleamed at his name being called. “Uh...what were you doing in my bag? Is this a prank; am I on  _ Quirkified _ ?” The green boy looked around for any hidden cameras, but when he found none he looked back at Keroberos.

“What-- _ Quirkified? _ \--No, you’re not being pranked. As for why I was in your bag,” he said before being enveloped in a golden glow. From the fallen bag, the Sakura book that Izuku just bought for five-hundred yen floated out, also glowing gold. “You’re the one that opened the seal, allowing me to be returned to the material world!” He sounded so happy when he said that, and it just made Izuku all the more confused.

“Okay, but anyone could’ve opened the book? It was a weak magnet,” the boy said. Then, as an afterthought, “Is there anything I can call you  _ besides _ Keroberos? It’s a bit long. Also, how do you have both an Osaka  _ and  _ Tokyo accent? And how are you flying; you’re not moving your wings? And where did that light come from?”

“There is so much wrong with what you just said,” Keroberos sighed. “For now, just call me Kero--Sakura did, anyway--and the accent thing is complicated. As for the ‘weak magnet’, as you put it, it’s really not.” At Izuku’s confused look, Kerober--Kero!--just sighed. “The clasp is done by magic, and can only be opened by magic,” he deadpanned.

“Yeah, okay,” Izuku nodded, “I understand.” ‘ _ That doesn’t explain anything at all! You just skipped my questions!’ _

Kero, knowing Midori needed more convincing, just transformed into his true form. Izuku, not expecting that at all, shrieked when a winged  _ lion _ dropped to the ground in front of him. “Make sense now?” Kero said smugly. Fearing the large lion before him, he nodded frantically.

Transforming back, Kero sighed from the stretch. “Now, the reason why the book was locked by magic, is because of these!” Internally, Kero was overwhelmingly happy that none of the cards were lost upon the first encounter, allowing him to open the book and show them to a captive audience.

“These are the Sakura Cards, and they hold major magical power. They were originally created by  _ my _ creator Clow Reed: the greatest magician of all time. After his death, they were found by my new master, and transformer of the cards, Kinomoto Sakura.” While Kero was talking the cards floated from the book, circling the boy. “Now, since Sakura sealed them away for the next master, I was guarding the seal until another with magical power came to claim them. That person, is you, Midori!”

At the-- _ half of his _ \--name, Izuku looked from the cards that were putting themselves away to Kero. “Okay, that’s cool,” he said skeptically, “but how can cards have magic? They look like the old, pre-quirk Tarot cards.”

“Well, when used in conjunction with the sealing staff, they unleash their magic to their master’s will.” Kero used his magic to grab the first card in the stack: The Windy. “Look, does this look like a Tarot card to you?” Green eyes flicked from the card to Kero, and back again.

“Yes.” Kero slumped in midair. “What kind of name is ‘The Windy’ for a magic card, anyway?”

He shouldn’t have said that. The moment the name of the card was read a massive gust of wind came by, blowing Kero into Izuku. In the midst of the wind, Izuku watched as the rest of the cards began flying out of the book, disappearing from view in streaks of light. The wind, still blowing, was howling as it kicked up dust, scaring those nearby and gaining the attention of police officers.

Once it was finally over, Izuku removed his arms from their positioning over his eyes, letting him view Kero in all his disoriented glory. Decidedly freaked out, Izuku glanced at the book. It was just as he feared: the cards really  _ did _ fly away. ‘ _ Great. Find an old, magical power and the first thing you do is lose it. _ ’

“Excuse me,” a voice piped up from behind. Turning around showed the voice to be belonging to a police officer. ‘ _ Crap! _ ’ “From what I saw, your quirk made that whirlwind?” Then she pulled out a notepad, clearly waiting for a response.

“Uh…” Izuku was panicking. Magic was  _ probably _ not supposed to be known, even _ if _ Kero decided to do the introductions on the sidewalk. ‘ _ Uh- how do I string this?! Sorry officer, I accidentally used magic for the first time? That’s stupid- Genius!’ _

A plan made, Izuku spouted out the story he just came up with. “Sorry, it was my fault. I was scared when my companion, Kero here-” he grabbed the still-dizzy plush lion, showing him to the female officer “-suddenly popped up. Uh, I didn’t have a quirk before this, so when he surprised me it activated in my panic…?.” 

‘ _ Please buy it. Please buy it, _ ’ Izuku chanted in his head, crossing his toes so it wouldn’t be obvious to the officer that he just made all of that up. The officer was busy writing in her notepad for a second longer, then she turned to him head-on.

“Alright,” she shrugged. “You say this is your first time accessing your quirk?” She looked up from her notes, and Izuku nodded. “So you wouldn’t mind giving me your name as we head to the station? We can call your parents or guardians from there.” Izuku nodded once again, not trusting himself to keep the lie.

Surprisingly nice, the female officer guided him to her patrol car where her partner was waiting in the passenger seat. “Hey, Ikeda, this the cyclone guy?” The female officer--Officer Ikeda, apparently--nodded, guiding Izuku to the back seat.

“Yeah, but he says it’s his first quirk activation. So, we’ll be heading back to the station to verify, and then register if it’s true.” Officer Ikeda closed the car door, then turned back to Izuku and Kero--who was still spinning slightly. “If you happen to be lying, just know the punishment gets worse.”

Izuku just nodded mutely, watching the buildings pass by. ‘ _ So much for staying safe, eh, mom? _ ’ He was snapped from his thoughts when Kero finally came back to the land of the living. The lion-plush-thing glanced around, then turned to Izuku sheepishly.

“So, uh…” he started, “are we being arrested?” he asked. He was quiet enough that the officers up front didn’t hear, so Izuku shook his head minutely before whispering to him the cover story.

“I said that you were my quirk, and you scared me, so I accidentally activated it on instinct.” Kero raised an eyebrow--not an eyebrow, really, but it got the notion across--at that, silently asking for context. “When I said the-  _ the name of the card _ a whirlwind started, affecting everyone near. So, when asked, that’s what I told them. Public quirk usage is illegal, so we can be in trouble if it weren’t for the fact I’m quirkless.”

Kero nodded, thankful that magic was able to pass off as quirks--even if he doesn’t know what those are--but the most important question still had to be answered; “What about the cards? And the book?” The response was worse than he wanted, but exactly what he expected; when Izuku opened the book, the only card left was Windy. Kero let out a heavy sigh. “I’m getting major deja vu from this whole encounter.”

Seeing Kero’s disappointment, Izuku nudged him with a finger to get his attention. “Hey, if you need any help getting them back, I can do it. Besides, now that you’re going to be registered as my quirk, you don’t have to hide like I’m thinking you would have had to.”

Kero just nodded, and the two lapsed into silence for the rest of the drive. Occasionally the male officer--Officer Koike--would try and rope either Kero or Izuku into a conversation, but with Izuku’s stilted responses and Kero’s depressed attitude from losing the cards, it didn’t last long. Thankfully, though, the precinct for Lower Musutafu came up soon enough.

\-----

Walking between the two officers, Koike cheerfully talking about his pro hero husband and Ikeda replying with comments about her artist wife, Izuku was guided to sit by a desk. There wasn’t a nameplate, but the desk was absolutely  _ covered _ in reports and statements, each with little Latin ‘T’s and ‘F’s beside every quote.

In the background other officers were busy taking calls, writing reports, and just generally doing ‘police things’. Eventually, there was the sound of footsteps coming closer and Izuku looked up from his bag. Walking closer was a man that wore an overcoat and fedora, both tan like it was  _ fashionable _ . Despite the questionable taste in workplace attire, the man sat down at the desk, turning to Izuku after pulling out a notepad.

“So,” he began, “You’re the kid that made the whirlwind on Fifteenth-Street?” Izuku nodded and the man checked the notepad. “Officer Ikeda and Koike brought you in on the assumption that you’ve never manifested a quirk before today?” Again, a nod. “Okay. So, to make this easier on everyone, I’m here to use my quirk and tell if you’re lying just to get out of the punishment. My name is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa and my quirk is Human Lie Detector, so if you lie to me, I can tell.” Izuku subtly nudged his bag to alert Kero. “To begin with, what’s your name?”

“Midoriya Izuku.”

“Age and quirk?”

‘ _ A little redundant _ ’, he thought but acquiesced anyway. “Fourteen and quirkless.” Izuku paused, then corrected himself. “Sorry, uh, my quirk is unnamed and unidentified?” ‘ _ Hopefully, that checks out. _ ’

The detective nods-- _'_ _ Thank goodness _ ’--before continuing. “So it seems you were telling the truth about your quirk, and looking you up in the quirk registry-” he begins typing into the computer, before nodding again “-shows that it’s _ legally _ true.”

Tsukauchi-san opens a drawer, pulling out a notebook, opening it up to the next blank page, then turns to face Izuku head-on. “Since your quirk is completely new, and you likely have no idea how to register it, I’ll be here to help you. Let’s start with something simple; Officer Ikeda recorded that you have a companion; looks like a lion plush that can fly?” He looked up from the notepad to see Izuku.

“Uh, yeah; he said his name is Keroberos, but to call him Kero.” At this unplanned cue, the mentioned lion plush flew from the bag on Izuku’s lap. Tsukauchi-san nodded, then proceeded to draw a rough sketch.

“Okay, and would you say that he is sentient?”

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be? But hey, that’s a good drawing! Make sure to get my good side!” Kero’s slight ego could be seen as he stared at the detective’s drawing. Above him, Izuku gave the Tsukauchi-san an apologetic smile but he just waved it off.

“Okay, so we have a sentient quirk named ‘Keroberos’, but nicknamed ‘Kero’. What caused the whirlwind? Officer Ikeda noted that you had-” he turned to the notes again “-a ‘bright pink book adorned with gold and silver’ and that it was also flying?” Another nod. “May I see it?” Complying, Kero fished the book from the yellow school bag. Tsukauchi-san stared at the cover. “I see.” He tried to open the book, but its clasp was locked. “Would it be too much to ask you to open it for me?”

Once again, Izuku complied, opening the book with ease--‘ _ It really  _ is _ magic _ ’-- and then handed it back to the detective. Inside the compartment sat the lone card. When Tsukauchi-san grabbed it Izuku tensed, hoping that he wouldn’t- “The Windy? Now, this is interesting.” Izuku tensed further into his chair, but the impending windstorm didn’t come.

“Am I right in assuming that you accidentally used this...card...to cause the whirlwind?” Izuku nodded for what felt like the umpteenth time. The detective nodded back, writing something down in the notebook while Kero and Izuku shared a hopeful glance. They’re probably almost done!

“So,” detective Tsukauchi said, putting down his pen; “In the case where a person is declared quirkless but in actuality has a quirk, we have to recommend you go to quirk Counseling for a week in order to avoid an incident like this again. In your case, that’s likely easier than not; when Keroberos manifested, he likely was trying to explain what your quirk can do--which is normal for sentient quirks when first manifested. Add in the book and card components, he probably had you use The Windy, but since it was so new and had ten years to develop energy, it was more powerful than he expected.”

“So, with all of that out of the way, what do you want to name your quirk?” Detective Tsukauchi gave an appraising look to Izuku and Kero, grabbing his pen to record some ideas. 

Kero and Izuku shared a look. “Um, what about ‘Magic Cards’?” Izuku’s suggestion was shaky at best, but then Kero perked up.

“You should call it ‘Sakura Cards’!” He said, but then faltered. “You can change the name later, right?” At the detective and Izuku’s questioning look, he continued; “Well, eventually, after you develop all of your abilities, the cards will ‘transform’ into ‘Izuku Cards’.” Realizing that explanation might not hold water, he clarified once more. “It’s just a threshold that shows growth in abilities.”

“Yes, that sort of name change would be fine in the future,” Tsukauchi-san said, and when Izuku agreed with Kero, he wrote it at the top of the page used to record the information. Done, Tsukauchi-san tore the page out of his notebook, handing it over to the teen. “I recommend that, when you gain a new card and they transform finally, you head to the QR Building in Greater Musutafu.” ‘ _ QR Building? Oh, Quirk Registration Building. _ ’

Izuku nods and Kero puts both the card and book away. He was just about to get up to bow to the detective for his help when the front door of the precinct opened loudly. Turning to the noise Izuku found his mother frantically looking for him. Once her eyes locked onto his frame she started tearing up. The receptionist between them looked panicked, but Izuku just rushed to her.

“Mom, it’s fine, I’m not in any trouble.” As he consoled his teary-eyed mother, Tsukauchi-san cleared his throat. Jumping apart, Izuku gave the man a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Tsukauchi-san, she likely thought the worst when you guys called her.”

The detective just waved his apology away. “It’s fine, Midoriya-kun, not a problem. It was probably an oversight on our part anyway.” He turned to the Midoriya matriarch, extending a hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Midoriya-san, and I must apologize if we made you think your son was in trouble.”   
  


“No, no, it’s quite alright; I’m a crier anyway, so this would have happened no matter what.” She smiled at him, taking the proffered hand. “Now, you said he was involved in a quirk incident?” The tears almost made a comeback, but thankfully she held them at bay.

“Actually, the incident in question was  _ his _ quirk manifesting for the first time today.” Tsukauchi-san just smiled like he hadn’t just released a tsunami of tears from the woman.

Midoriya Izuku, in all his fourteen years of life, has  _ never _ seen his mother cry so fast in his  _ life _ . In exactly point-zero-two seconds  _ flat _ Midoriya Inko had tears coming from her eyes at a rate fast enough to fill a swimming pool in an  _ hour _ . Tsukauchi, startled and panicking at the woman’s reaction, flailed around as he tried to figure out what was wrong. Izuku, used to this, just hugged his mother close, letting her get it all out.

\-----

Twenty minutes later and the two Midoriyas were walking towards the train station, heading to the QR Building so that Izuku could finally register his quirk. Occasionally, much to Kero and Izuku’s embarrassment, Inko would turn to them and then suddenly burst into tears. Many other passengers in their car offered the woman their condolences, thinking that she was crying due to a loss. Every time she would assure them that she was crying happy tears, saying that it was a joyous occasion.

The train ride over, Inko was constantly tearing up, pulling tissues from her purse like a magician pulls bandanas from their pockets. Kero was silent, sitting in his bag after a particularly bad experience with a child. Izuku, meanwhile, consoled his mother, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. The ten-minute train ride was spent trying to build together a reputable story of activation for his ‘quirk’.

_ ‘Okay, so today the horoscope for Cancers said to ‘watch for something amazing’, I can pretend that I had a dream filled with lucky symbols and that a ladybug landed on my shoulder before Kero and the book appeared. That would tie into all the imagery in the book, and be a plausible activation for a mutated quirk.’ _ Izuku nodded his head, ready for anything.

\-----

He was  _ not _ ready for anything. When they arrived at the QRB the receptionist had them sign in, and then sit in the waiting room filled with crying kids that just manifested their quirks.  _ Seven times _ Izuku was nearly hit with errant quirks from curious kids. It would have been fine, if not for the fact that it was the  _ same two kids _ every time.

\-----

‘ _ Curse bureaucracy _ ,’ Izuku thought as the door to his apartment swung open. Setting the pamphlets that he’d been given, Izuku turned to his mother. She was sitting on the couch and he had a sneaking suspicion that the recently dried tears were making a comeback as she slouched.

Not liking when his mother cried so much, the teen made his way over, sitting down next to her. In a move that surprised him, Inko turned and grabbed his hands. With a determined shine in her eye, she said, “You have to tell me  _ everything _ .” Kero and Izuku sweatdropped at her conviction. Izuku, knowing that his mother wouldn’t let him go until he’d spilled the whole story to her. Modified slightly, of course.

So, he did. He told her the same story he’d told the man who registered his quirk; how he’d dreamt of Shinto shrines, calicos, and falling leaves; then, of the horoscope and ladybug. When it was finally done she looked ready to cry and Izuku was prepared, grabbing the tissue box on the side table.

She waved him off with a watery laugh. “No, it’s okay; I’m done now. I’m sorry for crying so much, but I couldn’t help but think of the day we got your diagnosis; how you were so heartbroken and I couldn’t do anything but apologize! And then I thought about the things people would say about you and I behind our backs, and then it became a thought of how much you’ve done despite everything, all to be the first quirkless hero! And then, I couldn’t help but think ‘all his hard work is in vain’, all because you got a quirk!”

Inko devolved into tears again, grabbing tissues by the handful as Izuku tried to reassure her. Kero, floating nearby, just landed on Inko’s knee, giving a soft pat.

Taking a deep breath, Inko gathered herself again, determined to say what she needed to her son. “You’ve worked so hard despite your quirk not manifesting, and now that it has all everyone will see is the quirk and not  _ you _ !” Startling her son, she grabbed onto his shoulders with her deceptively strong hands. “I just need you to know that I’m sorry I didn’t answer the way you wanted back then, but I  _ always _ thought you could do it.”

In a bout of sobriety, Inko began in a serious tone. “Even with your quirk here, never forget that I have always believed in you-  _ will always  _ believe in you.” Izuku could feel himself about to cry. “You’ve gotten so far without a quirk and I will  _ always _ remember that, even when you go out there and save the day.” She pulled him in for a hug, and then knocked down the dam when she said, “I love you, quirk or no quirk; don’t forget that.”

\-----

“Well… That happened,” Kero said as Izuku shut his bedroom door. The green-haired teen hummed in agreement, still wiping a few stray tears from his eyes. Izuku, having just been through an emotional rollercoaster of a day, wanted to sleep for the next week. With that thought in mind, the green teen walked to his bed and flopped onto the mattress.

“Hey, hey, you can’t go to bed yet; we still got stuff to talk about! Not to mention I need to give you the sealing staff!” The boy groaned at his sleep being denied. He flipped over, and at Kero’s insistence sat up properly.

“Can this wait till after school?”

“No way! There’s a lot that I don’t understand about the world right now, and in order to be an effective guardian, I need to know about it!” Izuku sighed, turning his full attention to the guardian.

“What do you want to know?”

Kero put a paw beneath his chin, humming to himself in thought. Izuku, knowing that this discussion will become lengthy despite his want for sleep, sets about getting something for Kero to sleep on. He is a very restless sleeper, so he fears if Kero shared the bed he’d be squished. As the boy looked in his closet, Kero finally had an answer, well,  _ question _ .

“Everyone keeps talking about quirks; what are they? The last time I was around, ‘quirk’ was just used to describe something unique or strange.”

“Fair point,” Izuku stated, head still in his closet. “A quirk is a meta ability that came about from a mutation in the human genome; it expresses itself in a variety of ways.” Knowing that he’d just go on and on, Izuku pauses his search for Kero’s bedding to grab one of the many books on quirk theory that he possesses. “Here,” he says, opening the book, “This chapter tells you all about it.”

He sets the book on the desk before returning to his task.  _ ‘Maybe he can use a winter hat and scarf?’ _ Izuku looked over his selection of hero-themed winter wear, sweatdropping at the sheer number of All Might faces grinning at him.  _ ‘I can get him something better later.’ _

“This quirk stuff sure is strange…” Kero mutters; “This says that quirks manifest in early childhood, around four and five? How did they believe us with such a huge red flag?”

“Chapter seventeen,” Izuku says simply.  _ ‘Now,’ _ he thinks, holding up two scarves,  _ ‘should I let him use the Golden Age All Might scarf or the Bronze?’ _ He continues weighing his options while Kero flips through the book behind him.

“‘The quirk gene mutates randomly, but usually follows a three-generation pattern’,” Kero reads to himself. “‘In fact, it is uncommon for a family tree to have a distinct quirk all the way through, but still happens on occasion; the ability to mutate is what makes quirks so unique, besides their obvious ability to give humans meta abilities.’”

Kero looked up from the book to ask Izuku a question before seeing a dilemma; the green-haired boy was alternating, lifting the scarves in his hands, seemingly unable to choose between them. “Izuku, this doesn’t say anything about quirks coming in late.  _ And pick one already!” _

Kero’s shout had him hastily choosing the Golden Age All Might scarf. “Sorry; and that’s because you only read the first page before stopping.” He turned to his newest companion, then flipped a few pages before pointing at a specific paragraph. “‘Due to the mutateable nature of quirks, it can be noted that some may come in at an unusual time.

“‘This may be because the quirk isn’t powerful enough to manifest until a later age, or because the quirk manifesting in a child would put too much strain on the human body. It is unknown whether hormone levels or the age itself accounts for the manifestation.’” Izuku took a pause, tracing his finger down the page until he found the next relevant passage.

“‘In another notable case of quirks having specific, seemingly arbitrary requirements before manifesting, TV star Takeda Komiko’s quirk, Infatuation Notes, didn’t manifest until she had tripped and fallen three times and then been ‘dumped’ on the same day.’ There, you see?” Izuku got back to setting up a bed for Kero.

“I guess...but that doesn’t explain how they could accept a sentient component, a book,  _ and  _ developing abilities translated into cards.”

Izuku sighed, giving the confused guardian an appraising look. “Quirks are weird, okay? A pro hero in Ireland has a quirk that is essentially a sentient slot machine that spouts different weapons for each number, all while in the shape of a _ clown doll _ . If they can accept that, they can accept the Sakura Cards as a quirk.”

Kero shrugged, unable to dispute that. He tried to think about anything else he might want to know, but the lengthy explanation just so happened to cover it all. The greenette, like he’d been trying to do the whole time, finished setting up the ‘bed’ for Kero; the hat and scarf used as a pillow and blanket respectively.

“With that out of the way,” Izuku said, “we can move on to… What did you call it? A  _ sealing staff?” _

“Oh yeah!” The golden guardian perked up at the mention of the staff, darting to the bag which held the Sakura Book. With a glow of golden light, the book was floated to be laying on the desk. “Before any cards show up we have to-”

“-I never noticed before, but the lion on the cover was you, right? Because it’s gone now.”

Nonplussed at the boy’s interruption, Kero just continued; “-We have to forge the contract between the key of the seal and you, that way it’s finally official!”

“Okay, so… where do I sign? Or do I need to use blood?” The boy mumbled. “Or is this like those old movies where I have to chant in Latin and use crystals? Because I’m telling you now, I don’t have any of those on me.” 

Bewildered, Kero shook his head. “No, none of that. This is  _ real _ magic, none of the tv nonsense you’re thinking of. Just- it’s better if I just get on with it.” Accepting the response, Izuku stood in the center of his room, as directed, watching as Kero began to glow.

_ “Key of the seal,” _

Kero’s voice gained an echoey quality as the room faded into a black space. The only light came from Kero’s body, the book, and a glowing circle on the ground. Upon further inspection, Izuku makes the connection that the circle on the ground is actually the same as the one on the back of the book. ‘ _ It really  _ was _ a magic circle _ .’

_ “Someone wishes to make a contract with you, a boy named Izuku.” _

From where the book lay on the desk, a glowing ball came out of the keyhole of the clasp. Izuku could barely make it out, but the ‘key’ was small, just having room for two, even teeth and a red gem; the rest of the key, the handle, was formed into the shape of a winged ring holding a golden star.

_ “Key, bestow your power unto him;” _

The key floated over to Izuku, stopping about an arm's length away. The wind began to pick up, but luckily nowhere near the power of Windy. Green eyes watched, rapt with attention as the outer edges of the circle began to pick up dust, swirling around the room.

_ “Release!” _

The key began to spin, the star gyrating in a clockwise motion; the dust that gathered before swirled overhead once more before surrounding the key. Izuku watched as it began to elongate and grow, turning into a golden-poled staff with the star at the head. “Now! Grab the staff, Izuku!” Complying, the boy did so. When his hand made contact with the metal it changed from its golden hue to a light green, a pair of miniature, mint wings unfurling at the top.

Just as suddenly as the room disappeared, it reappeared, leaving Izuku to stand in the center of his room holding the green sealing staff. It stood at roughly the same height as his shoulder and Izuku felt out of his depth while holding it. After looking at it for a minute, Izuku says the first thing on his mind; “I thought it’d be pink.”

Kero sweatdropped. “You know, so did I.” The Beast of the Seal floats up to be level with Izuku’s face, giving the staff a once over. “I also expected it to be smaller? Last time it was…” Kero shook his head before looking Izuku in the eyes. “Now that you have your sealing staff and first Sakura Card, you are the official Cardcaptor, the second of your kind!”

“Oh…  _ That’s _ what you meant by ‘official’.” He swung the staff around like a katana, not really knowing what he’s supposed to be doing with it. “So I’m a... _ Cardcaptor _ now? And judging from the name, I’d assume that my duties are to ‘capture’ the cards?” He used finger quotes, trying to show that he  _ really _ doesn’t understand how a card needed capturing.

At this, Kero smiled, reminded of the first time he’d made an official Cardcaptor. “Since the cards were released from the seal-”

“-Sorry-”

“-They are able to activate themselves without any outside forces to guide them. Generally, this means that they just flock to the nearest source of their power, but since they’re not  _ cards _ anymore you have to fight them in their  _ true _ forms.”

“True...forms?” Izuku tilted his head at the not so silent question. The way Kero was explaining it the cards became like monsters, attacking anything in the general vicinity.

“Yeah! The card I remember the best is the Fly card! When it’s loose it takes the form of a blue bird, looking sorta like a crane; When it was hurt, however-” at this Kero’s smile became more...cocky “-it grew to the size of a high rise, using its wings to create gusts of wind to blow away any attackers!”

Izuku listened. 

Then he thought it over. 

And then he paled.

\-----

The occupants of the Midoriya apartment were sleeping soundly. Izuku was having a content dream about helping All Might defeat villains with his newfound magical powers. Kero, sleeping in his scarf-bed, was dreaming about eating sweets with Sakura, Syaoran, Yue, and Clow Reed. Inko, the overworked nurse that she was, actually wasn’t home, having been called in for a shift at the hospital.

All was peaceful and quiet in the apartment. 

Until it wasn’t.

A deafening screech filled the air and Izuku was quickly thrown back into consciousness with a yelp. The spooked teen haphazardly threw himself from his bed, almost colliding with Kero in his haste to turn on the light and exit the room. Like any normal citizen during a potential villain attack, Izuku made his way to the tv, quickly turning it to the  _ Hero News Network. _

[“Emergency Alert! There has been a confirmed sighting of a giant bird akin to that of a crane flying over the Lower Musutafu area! As of right now, it is unknown whether the bird was affected by a quirk or is in fact a quirk itself. The responding heroes at the scene are currently the number two hero Endeavor, his sidekick Burnin, and the heroes Backdraft and Manual!”

“According to eyewitness testimony, the bird appeared out of nowhere before appearing with a loud cry! As of right now nearby citizens are being evacuated as it is flying over the residential area of Lower Musutafu!”]

The two watched as the screen showed the accurately described giant crane as it beat its wings, pushing the number two hero back with the force. The camera panned over the scene before Izuku gasped and raced to the window. “The fight’s happening only a few blocks away!” With a front-row seat to the fight, the greenette and lion plush watched as the flame hero threw his namesake towards the bird, singeing its feathers and eliciting another screech. 

“Izuku,” Kero said, hoping for the boy’s attention, only for him to be ignored. Grunting, Kero floated towards his newest charge, positioning himself right by his ear before yelling.  _ “Izuku!” _ Startled, the green-haired boy yelped and turned to the guardian.

Now that he finally had the boy’s attention, Kero began to relay the situation. “Remember what I was saying before, about Fly and getting hurt and then growing bigger?” Izuku was quick to nod. “Good, because that, there,  _ is _ Fly, and it’s getting attacked just like last time.” Kero was quick to fly back into Izuku’s room, returning with a jacket held in his mouth, the star key and Windy between his paws.

“We need to get you out there and stop Fly before things get any worse than they already are.”

“What?! You mean that I have to fight that?!” Izuku points out the window to the giant bird currently being attacked by Endeavor. “That’s insane; how can  _ wind _ fight a  _ bird the size of an apartment complex?! _ ” Izuku continues his complaints even as he puts on the jacket, pockets the magic items, and puts on shoes; he’s out the door before he’s even taken a breath. The two make a quick path towards the fighting, making sure not to get caught in any panicking citizens’ way and hiding from the heroes carrying out the evacuation order.

Eventually, the two--with the assistance of a fire escape--are standing atop an office building in the shadow of the fighting, out of the way of any of the heroes, especially Endeavor. Turning to his companion, Kero says, “Use the staff to call upon Windy!”

“I don’t think I can do this!” Izuku called out, nearly inaudible from the sounds of the fight. 

“Just trust in yourself!”

Turning back to the  _ giant bird _ , Izuku lets a shaky breath pass, trying to steel himself. “Yeah, okay,” he says to himself, “ _ Sure _ . I can do this. Okay, Izuku, how can wind beat a bird? Well, the air needs to pass the wings in order for it to even get any flight, so maybe if that was eliminated, it would fall?” He shakes his head, a burst of flame appearing nearby as the fighting continued.

“Even if the bird fell, it can still walk. I need some way to trap Fly, but how…” Izuku’s muttering trails off as he forms a plan. Kero, who had been keeping an eye on both the fight and the newest Cardcaptor, is nervous. How they would be able to do this without legal repercussions, he didn’t know, but he trusts in Izuku. If only the Cardcaptor would call upon the staff already.

Gathering himself up, Izuku calls out to Fly. “Hey, if you come this way I can help you!” He honestly doesn’t think that the words would carry, with the flames roaring, heroes yelling and Fly screeching intermittently, but somehow Fly heard and turned his way.

Only a block away, Fly prepares to, well,  _ fly _ towards the one offering help. Izuku, not actually thinking the plan through, jolts as he realizes what is about to happen. ‘ _ Crap, Kero said that I need the staff to use the cards properly, but I don’t know-how! Kero, you never told me  _ how _ to call upon the staff!’ _

Throwing caution to the Windy--literally--Izuku pulls his only card from his jacket pocket. A muttered  _ here goes nothing _ being lost in the chaos. “Windy, guide me up to Fly’s back when I jump!” Kero, having watched Izuku  _ not _ summon the staff from the key, yelps in the realization of what Izuku plans.

“Izuku, what are you doing?!” He races for the green-haired boy as he jumps from the rooftop, but when it comes down to it, he didn’t catch him. Rather than fall, Windy begins to glow, before releasing a beautiful woman in shades of yellow and green that summons forth a wind strong enough to push Izuku  _ up _ onto Fly’s back as it passes.

With her job done, Windy returns to her card before flying back into Izuku’s hand. Izuku, who had closed his eyes during the whole interaction, opens them with a laugh, disbelieving what he is seeing. “I can’t believe that  _ actually worked! _ ” Not having planned this far ahead, Izuku quickly comes up with a continuation.

‘ _ Since Endeavor and the rest of the heroes are still fighting, I need to get Fly away, just like I promised! _ ’ Mind made up, Izuku calls out to Windy once again. “Windy, give Fly a tailwind while eliminating the headwind and guide it away from the heroes!”

Once again Windy appears, leaving a trail of her hair in the wind as she flies in front of Fly. In the moment that Fly beats its wings, Kero was speeding to join Izuku, but once the bird began flying there was no way he could catch up, especially not with Windy helping. 

While they flew Windy led the way, making little loops as she guided Fly. Izuku, hanging onto the feathers of Fly’s back, cheers as he is spirited away from the fight, feeling the wind pass through his hair and making his jacket billow behind him; “This is freaking  _ awesome! _ ” 

Izuku watches as the blurred ground eventually loses its shine, the two magic cards having taken them to… ‘ _ Is that Mount Kumotori?! _ ’ Indeed, Fly, with the aid of Windy had taken them all the way from Musutafu,  _ over  _ Tokyo, and into Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. Izuku sweatdropped at the sight of the peaks and valleys below him. ‘ _ Man… Kero wasn’t kidding when he said they hold ‘major magical power’...’ _

The greenette, now having been flown nearly one-hundred-seventy kilometers, finally lets the situation actually permeate his brain. He looks down and sees the mountains; looking right he can see the lights from the Isesaki area shining in the night; the left shows the silhouette of Mount Fuji, the stars providing a perfect backdrop. He then looks down again and promptly freaks out.

“Holy  _ shit!” _ His scream is high and shrill as he tightens his grip on Fly’s feathers, flattening himself to its back in a scramble to be secure. Reminded of his presence, Fly screeches, and in a move that switches the positioning of his heart and stomach, dives down at incredible speeds. “ _ Go back! Go back! Go back!” _

Right before the collision that would have taken Izuku’s life, Fly beats its large wings, maneuvering itself in such a way that it lands almost delicately. Windy, who had been their guide this whole time, seems to smile at Fly’s antics before returning to Izuku as a card. Now that the Earth is back beneath him, Izuku slides off Fly’s back, walking towards its head with shaking legs and a moderately upset stomach.

The bird and Izuku stare at each other; blue eyes watching as he fidgets with his jacket’s edges, trying to figure out what he can do to ‘capture’ the card. “Ah… You wouldn’t happen to be happy with being a Sakura Card, would you?” It’s a pathetic attempt, but it’s quite literally all Izuku has right now.

“I know I said I’d help you out of there--and I did, getting you away from the fight--but I think you’d be safer and happier while as a card?” ‘ _ God, I hope Fly can actually understand me; it  _ seemed _ to, earlier when it listened, but would it want to stay?’ _ Izuku, in a desperate attempt to save face and not show how out of depth he is, spread his arms in a-- _ hopefully _ \--friendly manner.

The Fly stares at him for a minute longer and the boy twitches under its gaze. In a move that Izuku wasn’t expecting, the giant blue form of Fly began to warp; it’s feathers flying outwards as a slight breeze picked up. Green eyes watched as the great bird began to shrink, its body becoming smaller and smaller until it was roughly the size of a stuffed animal. Taken aback, Izuku stumbles over his own feet as Fly  _ flew _ into his outstretched arms.

“Huh,” he said softly, “you really  _ are  _ docile, aren’t you?” He shifts his arms around Fly, using a hand to gently pet the bird’s head and neck. A soft crooning rumbled from it and Izuku smiled brightly. “You’re kinda cute, you know? But now I have to seal you, okay?” Setting the bird on the ground, Izuku stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets, searching for the key. Pulling out the small object, Izuku stared at it in complete loss of what to do.

“Okay, Kero said that I  _ need _ the staff to seal you guys up, but I still have no idea how to...activate it? Is that the right terminology?” A glance to Fly showed that it didn’t know either. Sighing, Izuku tried to remember the words Kero used the first time. ‘ _ I’m really gonna wing this one, hard. Kero talked about a contract, so...maybe I just…‘invoke’ the contract? Is that a thing?’ _

Sighing to himself, he holds the key in his hands, outstretched before him.“Um...Key of the seal? In- in accordance with our...contract? I c-command you... _ release?” _

He’s really not expecting that to work, with all of his stutterings, so he jumps when the magic circle from before lights up beneath him. The key which he had been holding, began floating just last time, swirling around before it started to lengthen into its staff configuration. 

Now, armed with the sealing staff, Izuku turns to Fly, who had been sitting, watching the exchange. Just as unsure as before, the pajama-clad Cardcaptor held the staff, pointing the star end at the bird. “Ah, Fly? Mind going back to being a card?”

Nothing happened.

He tries again. “Fly card? Uh, return to being a Sakura Card!”

Again, nothing happens. Slightly disappointed, Izuku slumps his shoulders. “Where’s Kero when you need him,” he laments. “Does it have to be said in the weird, roundabout way of talking that he used? Like, if I said it like: ‘Fly! Return to the guise you were meant to be; Sakura Card!’ Would it work?”

Much to Izuku’s disbelief, annoyance, and genuine surprise, the mock-incantation he used worked. The Fly beat its wings as it let out happy trills, moving to stand at the end of the staff. The circle appeared once more before a shimmering, iridescent rectangle appeared in the air. Fly’s form once again began to warp, before turning into long wisps of blue that spiraled out like ribbons. The ribbons that filled the air swirled overhead, shooting at the shimmering space that the staff formed.

Izuku stood, dumbfounded at the amazing display of magic; watching the ribbons vanish on contact with the rectangle. In what felt like minutes but was likely only a moment, the shimmering rectangle solidified, revealing the form of a Sakura Card. Holding his hand out, the card floated towards his grasp, allowing him to read  _ The Fly _ on the banner below the picture of the bird he’d just been next to.

“Oh, hey! You did it!” Izuku startled at Kero’s voice, turning swiftly to see him flying at him. “I was really worried that you might not have remembered the staff, but it seems like you’re just a natural Sakura was!” His plush-like face then contorted in anger, a solid frown coming through. “Next time, make sure I’m  _ with _ you before you go off! You could have been hurt, or Fly could have dropped you!”

Izuku sweatdropped at the rapid shift of emotions. “R-right, sorry. I just didn’t really have a plan, and when Fly actually listened, I freaked and did the first thing my brain came up with.” A hand came up to cup the back of his neck. “I was just as surprised as you were when I jumped,” he admitted sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure Windy would work or not…”

“You… You decided to jump without knowing Windy would save you?!” Kero began a rant about irresponsible magic users and naïve children. Izuku just let him blow off some steam before he calmed down enough for a conversation again.

“Hey, so you said that I needed the staff to use the cards… How come I was able to use Windy twice just now without it?”

Kero, still breathing a bit heavier than normal, took a deep breath. “Sometimes they can be used without the staff but it takes a great deal of magic power from the user if they don’t have experience. Earlier today you used Windy to scatter the cards, remember?” Izuku nodded. “Yeah, it’s just like that, only on a larger scale. Now that you’ve  _ used _ the staff, you can call the cards without overdrawing your magic, draining yourself in the process.”

‘ _ That...makes sense,’ _ Izuku thought, bobbing his head slightly in agreement. “Okay, now I have one more question.” Kero floated to be eye level with him, ready to answer.

“How do we get home?”

Kero faltered, dropping in the air slightly before he righted himself. “You got Fly, right? Hold it out.” The green-haired teen nodded, holding The Fly out for Kero to see. “Okay, now what you need to do is point the end of your staff at it and say something along the lines of: ‘Sakura Card, lend me your power.’”

“Really,” Izuku deadpanned.

“Well, the words can be changed a bit,” Kero shrugged, “but the general message has to be the same. You could use the card’s name, or even just give out instructions; calling for help also works if you’d rather do that.” Izuku sweatdropped at the nonchalance Kero used for the words.

‘ _ It took me forever to figure out how to summon the staff, and you’re telling me that all I needed to do was ‘ask for help’?’ _ Wilting at the reminder of his own misfortune, Izuku shook his head. “Whatever,” he muttered, shifting slightly so he could hold the staff and card at the proper angles.

“Fly, take us home!” The magic circle appeared for the third time, the wind picking up slightly as the card began to glow. With the colored ribbons that had sealed Fly into its card, the magic burst from the card, wrapping Izuku before dissipating. Glancing around for the bird, Izuku gave Kero a mock glare at its absence.

“I thought Fly was supposed to help us home?”

Kero didn’t respond, only staring at Izuku for a moment before saying, “I thought they’d be pink…”

“You thought what would be pink?”

“The wings,” Kero said, and if that isn’t a major shock, Izuku doesn’t know what else would be. Excited--because who  _ wouldn’t _ be, at the prospect of having  _ wings _ \--and a little scared--because who  _ wouldn’t _ be, at the prospect of having  _ wings _ \--Izuku turned his head to look at his back.

Sure enough, sprouting from his back was a pair of mint green wings, nearly a perfect match to the pair on the staff. Izuku shivered slightly as they moved, the sensation of having wings--even  _ magic _ wings--felt both strange, and... _ right _ . It was weird.

“So this is the power of Fly?”

“Why do you sound disappointed? You got wings!”

Izuku pouted--just barely--but he still pouted. “I was kind of excited to see Fly again.”

Shaking off the admission, Kero grabbed Izuku’s attention. “So, we need to get home, and you have wings.” 

Izuku, just now getting the implications that having wings made, paled considerably.

“Ready to fly?” 

\-----

“Remind me to never do this again!” Izuku’s panicked shouting rang out in the air as Kero just laughed at the green-haired boy. “This isn’t  _ funny _ , Kero! I have no idea how to land and my apartment is  _ right there!” _ True to form, Izuku’s apartment building  _ was _ coming up, the two, winged magic users coming in hot towards their landing zone. 

Thankfully the journey wasn’t too hard on Izuku, but the random gusts of wind and the occasional flock of birds definitely freaked him out. Now, after Kero had taught him the mechanics of winged flight, Izuku had to learn how to land. The only problem? He has one chance, and if he messes this up, he’ll be spending the night in the hospital and have to explain to his mother where he’d been.

“Izuku, calm down! You’re overthinking it again! You don’t need to know  _ exactly _ how to use the wings, just let Fly guide you and follow your instincts!”

“That’s easy for you to say! You’re not the one that has breakable bones!” Regardless, Izuku did listen, taking a deep breath before letting Fly guide.

It was an odd sensation for someone that relies on their mind like Izuku, but instinctually flapping wings downwards with the guidance from a magic card wasn’t too bad. Trusting the magic to not let him get hurt, Izuku dove for his building’s rooftop before abruptly turning and beating his wings to slow his descent to a safer speed.

Once the boy was on solid ground the wings dissipated in a flurry of mint feathers, The Fly reappearing in Izuku’s hand. “That wasn’t so bad, right? You had fun, right?” The green-haired boy’s eyes found Kero, making the lion plush tense up just slightly.

“Remind me to ask all necessary questions  _ before _ I do something like that again.”

“Noted,” Kero sweatdropped.

“But… I did have fun.”

\-----

The two made their way down the access stairs before Izuku suddenly stopped. “Ah! What time is it?” He searched his pockets for his phone, but it wasn’t there.  _ ‘Right, Kero grabbed my stuff. He probably didn’t think to grab it.’ _

“Huh? What’s wrong now?”

“If it’s passed four then my mom will be home,” Izuku explained, now rushing down the stairs. “If she’s home, then she’ll see us walk in after assuming we were asleep, and if  _ that _ happens I’ll be grounded for a week!”

Kero flew at head-level with Izuku, turning the corners with the green-haired boy. “You say that like it’s happened before.”

“That’s because it  _ has _ .” The two turned the last corner before not-quite-sprinting down the walkways. “Hero fights are best in person, and when some of your favorite heroes only patrol at night, you have to sneak out sometimes.”

“So… What you mean to say is: ‘I like going out at night, searching for literal danger, and my mom has had to punish me before because of it.’” The two stopped before the apartment door, Kero turning to look at Izuku; “Is that right?”

The boy let out a shaky sigh, inserting the key before motioning for quiet. Kero took this as an admission by silence, but Izuku wasn’t really paying attention because the  _ tv was on _ .

_ ‘Holy crap, this is going to be so much worse than the night I got lost trying to find Knuckleduster or even that time I went to Hosu looking for Eraser Head during the middle of a manhunt!’ _ Izuku took in a deep breath, preparing himself for the inevitable punishment, only to exit the doorway and find the living room unoccupied. He slumped forward in relief and made his way to his bedroom.  _ ‘We just left it on before leaving, holy geez I almost had a heart attack.’ _

Closing the bedroom door behind him, the greenette and the golden guardian shambled their way into bed, the day’s events catching up with them, leaving them exhausted without the adrenaline of a card fight. With a stray thought, Izuku managed to turn on his alarm before burying himself in his sheets. A nearly silent “ _ night” _ was uttered before the two were sent right back off into unconsciousness.

\-----

Inko Midoriya was seated at the table, watching her son tiredly walk in from outside. He looked panicked when he noticed the tv, but then rushed to his room.

Now, Inko is a kind woman, so she’ll wait until tomorrow to dish out her son’s punishment. Running out in the middle of the night, presumably to watch the fight with the giant bird that was all over the news is not behavior that Inko should have to teach her son is bad, but here she is. She takes another sip of her tea, sighing as she looks at the pictures along the wall, the frames reflecting the light of the tv screen.

“Oh Hisashi, how I wish you were here…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Okay, that's the first chapter! Hopefully, it's up to snuff; I know readers really like to look closely at works, but so long as you're civil and not just bashing my writing, I will try to take suggestions about grammar, terms, or occasionally minor plot points.  
> The capture order for all the Sakura Cards has been decided, and about half of them are acquired pre-canon. I'll try to make it as enjoyable as I can for you guys, that way it doesn't seem to drag too much.
> 
> OFA already has a set character, and /no/ it isn't Izuku. My choice is probably super basic, but I like it.
> 
> Like I said before, ships are to be announced, but since romance isn't the major plot of this story, it'll be background/not super noticeable. If the ship I reveal isn't one to your liking, I'm sorry. I'm, personally a multishipper, so take that as you will.
> 
> Chapters will--hopefully with my fingers crossed so tightly--be coming out every two weeks. (I have two other works to my name; one's a oneshot and the other a multichapter fic that I ended up dropping :( in the Spider-Man fandom, so I hope this one's schedule sticks.)
> 
> I have up to chapter 5 complete, but only 2-4 are, like, actually ready, so I have a buffer to keep myself safe.
> 
> (I commissioned a piece from solstacedraws on Tumblr, but until I figure out the linking system for images and hyperlinks it won't be available, sorry. Once I do, I'll share it with you all, but for now, you should totally find them; their work is so good!)
> 
> That's all for now, so I'll see you guys next time!


	2. Izuku and the Quiet-Mouthed Blond!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku's first official day as a Cardcaptor! Only- something is missing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I just could not wait to post this chapter any longer! So, rather than a two-week wait, I've given you a nine-day wait instead! This will likely change to be a ten-day thing, but I was bored and woke up at 18:00 and haven't gone to bed yet (it's 7:15)! Here's 3,884 words--10 pages--of the newest chapter!

“Okay, but what if I need to use a card and the key is still in my pocket, and the cards are in my bag. Will they still activate like the first time I actively used Windy, or will nothing happen? I get that they’re magic cards and whatnot, but how can they have personalities? How can they sense danger, even; is their definition of danger the same as ours, or is it different? Like, would Fly consider falling from a great height dangerous, or because of its bird nature, not even think twice? Kero, these are things I need to know!”

Kero heaved a sigh so heavy that it gave Izuku pause, but just for a second before he began his rambling again. It was officially Izuku’s first day as a Cardcaptor and his first day in school with a registered quirk, even if it was actually magic.

He was just about to get to his questions about the significance of the star imagery that was everywhere when Kero cried out. “Izuku, buddy, pal; you have  _ got _ to slow down your interrogation!” Izuku paused in his steps, giving his companion an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Kero; I just really want to know.”

“That’s fine, I get that; it’s reasonable, even, but you have to stop rambling in order for me to answer your questions.” The flying lion plush breathed out a sigh of relief when Izuku didn’t immediately start questioning again. Looking at Izuku, he gave a paw motion to continue.

“Okay, so,” he started, continuing his walk to school. “First question: just how many Sakura Cards are there? When you were first showing them to me it looked like there was a full deck; am I going to have to fight fifty more cards?”

“Actually, yeah, except there are fifty-three in total.” Izuku sputtered but Kero just ignored the reaction. “Clow Reed made the cards so he could easily perform magical feats. He originally couldn’t decide just how many to make, so he chose to make them like a full deck since they were to be cards anyway. Because of that, we now have to find, subdue and seal fifty- _ one _ more of Clow’s favorite magical spells...Er, give or take on the ‘favorite’ description.”

“Oh god…”

\-----

After a school day filled with whispering and gawking--and surprisingly no Bakugou--Izuku and Kero made their way back home. There they spent the time completing homework and watching the news, respectively. 

Now they were sitting in Izuku’s room, a notebook in the boy’s lap while Kero was snacking on a portion of pudding. “Okay, so we have a total of fifty-three cards, and we already have Windy and Fly,” Izuku started. He picked up the Sakura Book, turning it over to look at the back. “And based on the Kanji on the magic circle, water, fire and earth are a part of that list, what-with the four directions and four elements motif.”

He looked up from his notebook at Kero, who was happily eating the dessert roughly the same size as himself. “Clow Reed was half-Chinese and half-British?” Kero nodded, another scoop of pudding disappearing into his mouth. “That means I can expect wood and metal cards, right?” Kero shakes his head and Izuku groans.

“You know, this would be a lot easier if you helped me. Wasn’t it you who said that I need to know what I’m up against?” The greenette sends the guardian a glare as he just keeps eating with a dopey grin. “I won’t give you any more sweets if you don’t even pretend to help me.”

Kero lets out a cry of alarm, pushing the pudding behind him to protect it. “Okay, okay; I’ll help!” He floats over to Izuku’s open notebook, standing on the end. “You’re on the right track with the four elements, and with wood, but there is no metal, so you can cross that one off your list.” Kero rubs his chin as Izuku does just that; “At least...I think?”

“You  _ think _ ? You mean you don’t  _ know?” _ He asks incredulously. “You’re the ‘Beast of the Seal’, shouldn’t you know the names of the cards you’re protecting?”

“Hey,” pouts Kero, “I’ll have you know that being in a book and unable to get a refresher course for  _ decades _ takes a toll on the memory for anyone!” The plush crosses his arms, turning his head indignantly.

“Sorry, sorry; you’re right.” 

“In any case,” Kero acquiesced, “You need to add The Light and The Dark cards to your list; those two and the four elements make up the six most powerful cards in total, but after that, I can’t really remember any others right now.” Kero shrugged, flying back to his pudding, anger forgotten in favor of the sweet. “If I see the card, I can tell you, but without my memory being jogged...” he shook his head in apology.

“That’s okay,” Izuku says. “That’s more than we knew of in the beginning,  _ and _ there are four that I know are in the list: Mist, Cloud, Maze, and Illusion.”

“I mean, now that you say it I remember, but how’d you know?”

“Well, remember when, before I blew away the cards, you had them circle me? Well, I was reading them because I was thinking that the tarot cards had funky names, and then you said they were magic, so I thought ‘why’d you need a mist  _ and _ cloud card?’”

“...Maze and Illusion?”

“I just thought they would be fun to mess around with once you let me,” he admitted sheepishly. Kero laughed heartily as he finished his pudding.

\-----

“Izuku,” Inko called from the living room. “Can you come here for a minute?” Izuku and Kero follow his mother’s instructions, sitting beside her on the couch as they wait for her to begin.

“I would start off with the obligatory ‘what were you thinking?!’ but I’m pretty sure you’ve heard that one all before.” Her son froze up, paling at the implications of what she’d just said. “Now, I don’t need to explain how dangerous it is for you to rush after hero fights, but I feel like I  _ do _ need to remind you just how much  _ more _ dangerous it is at night.” Inko clears her throat after her passionate speech.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” she says, “your time after school until six will be spent offering your time at the local pet rescue.” Izuku tries to cut in but he’s met with a glare. “I know, that only leaves you with an hour to look for heroes in town, but I think it’s for the best that you don’t go looking for them right now because you’re  _ grounded _ .”

“You will go to school, help at the shelter, maybe find a hero or two, and then come right home and do your homework and chores. This lasts a month.” Her son’s face fell, but then he nodded in acceptance. It was honestly rather fair; she could  _ not _ let him do anything outside the house for a month but was still letting him some freedom. Plus, he got to spend time with animals, so that’s not much of a punishment anyway;  _ and _ , he still has the weekends free.

“Let’s start on dinner, okay, honey? We still need to celebrate your quirk coming in, and I feel like having katsudon tonight, hm?” Her son smiled at her and she gave him a quick hug.

\-----

The Midoriya family and Kero were sitting at the table, enjoying a nice meal of Katsudon to belatedly celebrate Izuku’s quirk coming in when a knock at the door made them pause. “Were you expecting anyone?” Inko asked her son.

“No,” he shook his head. “Maybe it’s aunt Mitsuki?” he mused. “You  _ did _ tell her about my quirk before getting called in last night.”

“Ah, you’re probably right-”

“Ko-chan, you in? I got a gift for the little brat!” Inko and Izuku sweatdropped. Yeah, that was Mitsuki, alright.

“Coming, Mi-chan!” Izuku smiled as his mother went to the door. 

After the diagnosis, most of his mother’s friends drifted, all except the Bakuogu’s, oddly enough. With Inko and Mitsuki sharing a dorm in college and then helping the other find their husband, it probably wasn’t too hard to see that they’d stay. If only their son was the same.

In perhaps the world's greatest joke, Bakugou Mitsuki and Masaru actually  _ brought _ Katsuki with them, and while the parents greeted each other his red eyes locked onto Izuku’s green. Now, Katsuki would never hurt him in his own apartment, but just the fact that he was there promised  _ some _ kind of danger if the way he began stalking towards him meant anything.

“Ah, I see you even brought Katsuki-kun with you!” In a move that only Midoriya Inko could survive she ran a hand through Katsuki’s spiky hair, even pinching his cheek slightly. Kero, unknowing of the ways of surviving an encounter with the walking bomb that is Bakugou Katsuki, laughs at his expression.

Izuku tenses for the inevitable shouting match that would come--because Katsuki  _ can’t _ be insulted and Kero  _ doesn’t _ stop. One second...ten… The greenette looks at Katsuki, wondering just  _ why _ he hasn’t gone off yet.

The explosive blond’s eyes are wide and his mouth is open just a tad, as though he dropped his jaw in...shock?  _ ‘That can’t be right… Katsuki- I’ve never actually seen Katsuki look like this before, except for maybe  _ once _ when we were kids.’ _

Izuku’s thoughts are stopped by something landing on the table. “Hey, kid, congratulations on activating your quirk after all these years!” Aunt Mitsuki’s loud voice arrives just a second before she’s wrapping him in a tight hug. “Oh, I just  _ told _ Inko that you were special!”

Uncle Masaru sweatdropped at her enthusiasm; “Mitsuki, you should probably let him breathe.” At the reminder that most humans need air to survive, Mitsuki releases the green-haired boy.

“I know, I know,” She says. “I’m just happy. I can be happy, can’t I?”

“Come, now, Mi-chan; let’s save Izuku from your smothering and let him open his gift!” At his mother’s insistence, the two families sat around the table. Katsuki, much to Izuku’s distaste, was to the left of himself, while his mom headed the table; the elder Bakugous were sat across from them, happily pushing a gift bag towards the younger Midoriya.

“We know that you’re probably the most up to date on everything quirks, and we already gifted you something All Might branded,  _ so _ , we thought to get you something for Kero.” Inside the bag was a personalized animal bed, decorated in patterns of stars and moons with an embroidered  _ Keroberos _ along the front. The space theme, alongside the custom blankets for the bed, was very nice. They must have made it themselves.

Kero, who had been bursting with enthusiasm for the gift, burst into tears when he saw the name. It took a little while but eventually, they got him to calm down enough that he wasn’t wailing. With Kero occupying the adults in the living room, Katsuki nearly dragged Izuku into his own bedroom.

“Wha-  _ Katsuki!” _ Izuku hissed, quietly protesting the rough treatment. Katsuki just ignored him, like usual, but he did slow down just a tad so he could at least walk without tripping over his own feet. “What the  _ heck?!” _ He nearly yelled as the blond very well threw him onto his bedroom floor. “You don’t just  _ do _ that to people!”

In Bakugou Katsuki fashion he was ignored, only able to watch as the blond rummaged around his desk before pulling out one of Izuku’s spare notebooks. “You still remember where I put those?” Katsuki scoffed, flipping it open and snatching a pen as he began to write vigorously. “You could at least  _ talk _ to me if you’re going to throw me around and ruin my stuff.” The greenette moved to his bed, crossing his arms as the blond just scoffed again.

Just as Izuku was about to throw another proverbial bone to get the egotistical blond to say  _ something _ , the notebook was shoved into his face. “‘Can’t fucking talk, dipshit.’” The boy read aloud. “‘Started after Aunty called the old hag about your quirk.’” He looked up at the blond, an eyebrow raised. “And you think this is  _ my _ fault somehow? I knew you hated me, but wow.”

Katsuki scowled, stealing back the notebook to furiously write something more, then thrust it back into Izuku’s hands. “‘My fucking voice disappeared while I complained about how the hag was too loud in cheering for you. Obviously, that has to be something.’ I guess?” Izuku scratched the back of his head. “But why would I even want to fix it if my quirk is the cause?”

The blond growls lowly as small explosions begin popping from his clenched fists. It’s quite clearly a promise of pain, but it doesn’t work because Izuku knows it’s an empty threat with their parents in the other room. Also, the greenette doesn’t exactly know if the culprit is a Sakura Card or not. Trying to sense the card as Kero had said earlier doesn’t exactly amount to anything.

The continued sounds of mini-explosions bring Izuku back to the present. “You do know that you’re not making a good case for yourself, right?” Green eyes glint as they lock onto Katsuki’s red; “Why would I help  _ you? _ Without your voice you won’t be as accepted by the community as a hero, meaning you’d never fulfill your dream of being number one.” He shakes his head mockingly at the mute blond. “You can see how this is a bonus for me and not a minus, right?”

_ ‘I’ve always wanted to say something like that to Katsuki, I just can’t believe that I actually got the chance! He can’t even do anything about it because of our parents; it’s the perfect revenge!’ _

Izuku’s inner musings are brought to a stop when the notebook Katsuki has been using to communicate is thrown back into his face. He looks down to read it; “You have got to do better than  _ that _ ,” he says in disbelief. The book is exchanged once more before Izuku nods. “Better than nothing, I suppose.”

He stands up, opening the drawer he’s been keeping the Sakura Book in, laying it flat on the desk as he grabbed the key. “You have to know that this could very well be a villain attack gone wrong, right? No need to threaten me with your explosions, I’m still helping! I’m just saying, this might not work.”

A grunt from the blond signifies his understanding. With that out of the way, Izuku tells the other to sit on the bed as the greenette stands a few meters away.  _ ‘I actually know what I’m doing this time,’ _ he thinks, holding out the key.  _ ‘Sure, I can use the short version Kero said, but I can also go all out to show Katsuki just how cool it is.’ _

_ “Key of the Star,” _

Izuku watched in muted humor as Katsuki jumped slightly at the room disappearing and the glowing magic circle beneath his feet. A tiny smirk formed as the blond’s head whipped around, trying to find where the room went.

_ “Reveal your true form before me;” _

A wind began to pick up, swirling the ‘magic dust’ as Izukui has-- _ just now _ \--started calling it. Katsuki, who was watching everything with a new scowl, got hit in the face with the ‘dust’, leaving the younger boy to try his best not to interrupt the incantation with small giggles.

_ “I, Izuku, command you: Release!” _

The key began spinning, elongating, and changing; the wind blowing harder as the staff formed. Izuku kept an eye on Katsuki, watching as he continued to scowl, minutely rubbing his eyes.

Finally done, the room reappeared and Izuku was left standing with the green staff. “Now that that’s out of the way,” Izuku sighed, “I have to-” Before he could continue any further, the bedroom door opened to reveal Kero.

“Izuku, what’s going on?! I sensed-” The lion plush paused, verbally backtracking. Behind him stood their parents, questioning looks on their faces all too telling that they, too, had no idea what was going on. “Ahah...ha,” Kero rubbed the back of his head. “So Izuku, what’s going on?”

The greenette was about to open his mouth, but Katsuki beat him to it, throwing the notebook at their parents, not before ripping out the ‘agreement’ they’d made. “He lost his voice?” Kero questioned.

“Oh, yeah,” Mitsuki said. “Last night, right after you called, Ko-chan, Katsuki was talking, and then all of a sudden- poof!” She made a mock-explosion with her hands, “He just cut off, and ever since he couldn’t talk! We took him to the doctor and they said his vocal cords are fine, but they just aren’t making sounds.”

“So what does this have to do with Izuku?”

“Well,” Kero cut in, “this could be the work of-” Izuku, sensing Kero was about to slip up and call it a Sakura Card, glared at the golden guardian “- _ Izuku’s quirk _ .” Kero coughed.

“Really?” Mitsuki questioned. “But we were so far away when it manifested.”

“Since my quirk seems to be in the category of Specialty Quirks, it’s possible that some of the abilities that I’ll gain have different aspects to activate, just like my quirk did when it first appeared,” Izuku rushed out. He needs them to not question him having a staff, a book, cards,  _ and _ Kero, but hopefully they believe him like they do for any other quirk-related matters; “In fact, Kero was telling me earlier that I will likely gain a mass variety of powers as I grow, and since it’s still new, they very well could activate strangely.”

_ ‘God, I really have to prepare my lies rather than just make it up on the spot.’ _ Thankfully, however, nobody called him out, and Katsuki only scoffed as if to say  _ “Only a shitty nerd like you would get such a stupid quirk.” _

“I guess that makes sense, yeah,” Masaru says and all the parents nod along, agreeing. “But why did it take Katsuki’s voice?”

“Maybe Izu-kun’s quirk subconsciously activated after having to listen to the brat’s constant yapping about ‘winning’ and ‘being the best’.” Mitsuki laughed at her own joke, even managing to duck the pillow that Katsuki threw at her.

The three parents laughed at Katsuki's antics, meandering to the living room again. Kero, now having the chance to speak, floats up to Izuku; “He lost his voice?” A nod from the grumpy blond. “Well, this must be The Voice! It likes listening to people, but when it finds a voice that it particularly likes or dislikes, it steals it for itself.” 

The greenette blanched. “Don’t worry,” Kero said flippantly. “After we attract it with the sound of another pretty voice, then we can cap-  _ get your quirk to stop _ .” Izuku stopped his warning glare as Kero devolved into another bout of coughing. 

“We need a nice sounding voice to attract it?” Izuku hummed in thought, gripping the staff tightly. “I might just have something…”

After a three minute debate between song choices with a non-verbal Katsuki, Kero pressed play on the music video. It was suggested by Izuku since neither of the two could sing, that they just play one of Present Mic’s songs to attract The Voice. Katsuki, sitting on the bed, was crossing his arms and scowling at the younger boy while Kero and Izuku hid in his closet, ready to jump out and seal the card.

Just as the lyrics from the Voice Hero’s newest hit song rang out, a sprite flew in from the window. Izuku stared at the pink harpy-like figure as it flew around the room, seemingly to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

Silently, Izuku crept out from behind the door until he was fully in the room. “Voice Card, return to the guise you were meant to be!” The harpy startled and tried to fly away, but the rectangle that formed in the air sent out its ribbons, ensnaring The Voice. Katsuki and Izuku watched as the harpy continued to struggle as its body began to give way, being pulled into the card. Once done, the glowing of the card stopped, flying neatly into Izuku’s outstretched hand.

“Remember our deal, Ka-  _ Bakugou _ ?” The greenette turned to the explosive blond, waiting for both his voice and understanding.

“ _ Fucking-  _ yes, I do!” Kero flinched at the swear, but Izuku just smiled.

“Good.” He pointed to the door with the staff. 

“Now get out of my room.”

\-----

“So what was the deal that you and that spike-ball made? Seemed kinda important to me, but you didn’t tell anyone else.”

The two were on their way to school. The night before Izuku had celebrated his quirk with the Bakugous, while also capturing The Voice after it had stolen Katsuki’s. Now, Izuku was just smiling as he walked, finally ready to have a school day where Katsuki was present and  _ not _ out to kill him.

“I made him promise not to be a bother until UA’s exams.”

“But isn’t he a bully?” Kero asked. “How are you sure that he’ll even listen to you? He could be plotting an ambush right now.” The golden lion plush spun in the air as if looking for hidden traps. Izuku laughed at the thought of  _ Katsuki _ waiting for anything.

“He won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“His pride.” And he left it at that.

\-----

The classroom was tense. Two days ago Bakugou Katsuki bullied Midoriya Izuku. Yesterday, Midoriya came into school with a quirk and Bakugou was absent. Two things that literally  _ never _ have happened before.

Now, Bakugou was sitting at his desk, having arrived just as early as usual, but he was ignoring his usual posse of suck-ups. Like normal. But then Midoriya comes in, his quirk companion flying beside him as though the two hadn’t just plunged the whole room into the antarctic.

The whole class stares as the green-haired boy walks to his seat, calmly sitting down without passing anybody an eyelash. Bakugou, when the boy passed his desk, didn’t do  _ anything _ . Not a shout, explosion, or even a  _ glance _ at the boy. Literally everyone present was waiting for the bomb to drop.  _ Something _ had to happen.

Breaths caught in throats as the boy stood up, then walked to stand beside the explosive blond’s desk; the posse cleared out as soon as the boy got up. “Hey, Katsuki!” The class collectively thought ‘He’s going to die!’ when the blond finally looked up.

Bakugou didn’t do anything other than look at the boy, but for some reason, Midoriya was asking for it. “It was so nice of you and your parents to come over and celebrate with my mom and me!” The grenette extended a hand towards the blond and the class could clearly see the amputation happen in their mind’s eye. “Let’s do it again sometime!”

Everyone waited with bated breath for the blond’s violent reaction. Red eyes went from Midoriya’s hand to his face. A scowl formed and people braced.

“Only if aunty invites us. I’m not heading over just to hang out with your shitty ass.”

_ What the hell?! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! It's done and Izuku has a new card: The Voice!  
> I really tried to do Baugous Mitsuku and Masaru justice, but I don't think I have; they're just so difficult because they have, what, one scene of screen time? (I haven't seen the newest season so don't kill me if that is wrong)
> 
> Note: Izuku wasn't about to call Bakugou "Kacchan" at the end there. What he was going to say was "Katsuki"--because. while they aren't close, Katsuki is still a major influence (mainly bad) in Izuku's life, so it would be strange to Izuku to just pretend their history doesn't exist at all by saying "Bakugou".
> 
> I hope you liked the little blurb at the end, with the class. It's not really an "omake" since it's "canon" to the work, but I'll be adding little extras at the end for a little more fun and content.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time!


	3. Campfires and Soapy Waters!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku has... a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, another chapter within a week?! It's more likely than you think... Also, it's because of the new year, so... Happy New Year! ｡*⭒⑅ ˙ྌ˙⑅⭒*｡ (I'm a little early, but whatever. Semantics.)
> 
> But in all seriousness, I really like this chapter--one of my favorites to write--so I hope you like it just as much! It has its moments of crack and seriousness, so...yeah.
> 
> OH! I never even told you guys, but one of my main motivators to write this work is because I decided to splurge (not a good idea) and bought /both/ versions of The Clow--both the original and the Sakura version--and let me tell you; when I say having a physical copy of the 53 Clow Cards makes me so happy...it /does!/ (I also may have bought the original sealing staff, the Sakura staff, and a necklace version of the first, keychain for the second... I have a problem. (/ω＼)
> 
> BUT! Another key reason why I'm publishing today rather than next week is that vols. 2 and 3 of the collector's edition of the original manga arrived today! So did vol. 1 and 2 of the Clear Card arc! I'm waiting for vols. 1, 4, 5, 6 of the CCS CE and Clear Card vols. 3 & 4 on Monday (I already have 5-8)!  
> I like Cardcaptor Sakura, okay?! (˵ᵕ̴᷄ ˶̫ ˶ᵕ̴᷅˵) I just wish I didn't have to wait for July to have all 9 volumes of the CE of CCS or April for the last volume of the Clear Card arc. Big sad. (Vol 7 is Feb, 8 in May, and 9 is July--I cry!!)
> 
> Anyway... New chapter, new cards! I hope you like it as much as I--ignoring my rant about manga volumes and collectibles. So here's 11 pages--4,104 words--of Cardcaptor Izuku!
> 
> Till next time!!!

Reasons why Midoriya Izuku is having a great Saturday: 

One; It has been almost one week since the last time that Bakugou Katsuki has interacted with him without outside interference. Two; All Might was seen in Greater Musutafu by the Wonder Aquarium--he saved thirteen people and a  _ seal _ after a villain attack. Three; Kamui Woods was spotted three blocks from where Izuku is now standing. Four; Endeavor is making a reappearance in the Musutafu area for a lead on a case. Five; All Might and Endeavor in the same city means there is a high likelihood of them being near one another, leading to exclusive, candid photos of the heroes!

After checking the hero news one last time, Izuku begins his sprint to find as many heroes as he can around the city; if he happens to run into the number one and number two hero, that’s just fate.

He begins his hero-watching patrol-- _ not _ stalking route, Kero--near the Lower Musutafu mall, finding the heroes Stage Man and Sparkle Queen, getting an autograph from both of them.

Eventually, the green-haired boy made his way to where the news reported Endeavor being--which is really counterproductive when working on a case--when a familiar head of spikey, ash-blond hair passed by. “Spikey? What’s he doing here,” Kero asked.

Izuku perked up from his phone, glancing at the blond as they walked. “Katsuki’s actually just as much a hero-nerd as I am.” Kero gave Izuku a look of disbelief. “No, no; it’s true! When we were younger he’d always get the newest All Might merch first, and as we got older, I’d see him in lines for Hero Con and autograph signings at different bookstores.”

“Oi!” Izuku turned to see that Katsuki hadn’t walked away as he’d thought. Izuku sweatdropped at Kero’s responding growl. “Don’t be spouting shit about me, Dek- Izu-  _ Midoriya _ .”

“Just- just call me Izuku,” Izuku stammered. Since they weren’t exactly enemies anymore, they could be called friends?  _ No _ , not yet, but something more like...acquaintances. “I’ve been calling you Katsuki in my head, anyway.”

“Not the point,  _ Izuku _ .”

“When you say it like that, you make it sound like it’s a bad thing…” Izuku laughed at the blond’s antics, happy that they can do this; interact without him getting attacked. “Also, it’s not ‘shit’ about you when it’s all the truth.” The blond glared at Izuku, who just folded his arms at the display. “You can’t tell me you  _ aren’t _ headed towards Takemada’s Market just to see Endeavor.”

“ _ Fuck you!” _

“No thanks,” Izuku responded cheerily.  _ ‘It seems a week has done something good for Katsuki. Maybe he should extend the threat to UA’s midterms… Well, this week has been amazing for me, too, what with not having to deal with constant explosions…’ _

Somehow, even after Katsuki and Kero expressed their disdain for one another, Izuku managed to get them to form a trio. Right now, they were turning the corner for the market-

_ “Tree?!” _

Indeed, a singular, large oak tree grew in the center of Takemada’s Market. It was easily taller than the surrounding buildings and the roots could be seen extending at least ten meters from the trunk.

“How the fuck this get here?” Katsuki asked in his own, colorful way. The blond pulled out his phone, opening the news app. “They haven’t even reported it yet, so there must be a villain nearby.”

_ “Or,” _ Kero cut in, “Maybe it’s just Izuku’s quirk acting up again?” His black eyes bore into Izuku’s head,  _ willing _ the greenette to make the connection.

“What?  _ Oh! _ Right!”

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It  _ means _ , Katsuki, that I have to deactivate my quirk again. You know, like last time?” Izuku fished the key from around his neck-- _ ‘Thank god Kero did this’ _ \--preparing to awaken it when the tree began to grow before their very eyes.

“What’s-?!” Katsuki’s question was interrupted by a ball of flame flying towards the tree, exploding on contact. Swiftly turning around showed that the Flame Hero: Endeavor was on the scene.

“Izuku, quickly!” Kero’s shout was filled with concern and general nerves from the fire.

“Right!” The magic circle began to glow beneath Izuku’s feet; “ _ Key of Stars, Release! _ ” The key undergoes its transformation, leaving Izuku the staff. Green eyes watch as the Flame Hero continues his barrage of flames, not caring for those around--namely, Izuku and co. “Katsuki, we gotta get out of the way!” The blond looked half a second to vehemently declining when a ball of fire nearly burned him. Reluctantly the trio entered a side store.

As the trio watched Endeavor pour more flames-- _ ‘he’s really going at it, huh? Well, his case  _ does _ have to do with a villain who controls plants, so…’ _ \--at the still-growing oak, eyes wide when the hero let up and the bark wasn’t even singed.

“Kero, what’s going on?” Katsuki had to back away from the windows when Endeavor started his attacks once more; combustible sweat doesn’t go well with fire, so it goes the same with general heat.

“I don’t know,” the lion plush replies. In truth, he’s slightly relieved but mainly sad. The Wood is such a nice card, she doesn’t deserve such harsh, unforgiving treatment. “Wood is highly susceptible to flames, but for some reason it’s unaffected?”

A shout of rage echoes in the now-deserted market, probably because Endeavor sees that his attacks are having no effect on the supposed villain. The number two hero raises another fist, probably to release more fire, when a grouping of flames jumps from its position on his shoulders, hovering between the tree and the Flame Hero.

“Now what-?” The greenette can’t even finish his question before the rouge ball of flame turns into… “An angel?” The angel itself is made of flames from the waist down; no prominent features were discernible about its torso, but it only seemed to be wearing metal bands on its upper arms and a strange necklace. Surrounding it was a pair of wings made of orange fire, matching the color of its eyes.

“This your quirk, too, Izuku?” Katsuki’s question has less bite than expected, but that’s probably because a villain from a few months ago had a similar ability. The only problem with that theory was the fact that she’d been caught and taken to prison only two weeks after her debut.

“Um...probably?” The greenette shrugged absently as the hero and presumed-card fought, fire colliding and shooting into the air.

“Probably?! You mean you don’t even fucking know?!”

“I didn’t know that my quirk had done what it did to  _ you! _ How am I supposed to know; I've had it for barely seven days!” Red eyes met green, both glaring with the heat matching the fight just past the glass. Katsuki opened his mouth--probably to say something rude--when Kero got his attention.

“Izuku, you gotta do something! Wood doesn’t do well with fire, and I’m assuming she only grew here because she sensed the hothead.” The green-haired boy flinched at the thought.  _ ‘The Cards are sentient--at least, according to Kero--so Wood is probably in pain, and Firey is just defending her.’ _

Green hair bobbed as Izuku nodded. “Right,” he said, pulling out Windy from his bag-- _ ‘man, I need to clean this out.’ _ The greenette shook his head, opening the glass door, bracing against the nearly oppressing heat wave that followed. Green eyes watched for just a moment longer, following the two fire users-- _ ‘is it really using if it  _ is _ fire?’ _ \--before finding an opening; Endeavor had to take a breather as it was getting a bit too hot in the street.

“Windy, cause a vortex to surround Firey; suffocate it!” Izuku threw out The Windy, activating it with the end of the staff. From the card burst the form of Windy, streaking as she surrounded the androgynous angel that was Firey. The wind picked up as a small vortex of wind began suffocating Firey; nearby, Endeavor glared at the green-haired boy.

Soon, Firey was left to be only just taller than Izuku’s knee; their magic unable to keep feeding the flames as Windy blew them apart. Seeing that Firey was sufficiently weakened Izuku called out;  _ “Return to your form confined!” _

The shimmering rectangle formed, but this time with a second, both extending their ribbons outwards. The tree itself began to glow as the flame began to be pulled in. The tree’s branches were the first to disappear, and then the roots, and finally the trunk. The stubborn Firey continued to struggle against the magic, until it, too, was pulled in, leaving Izuku with two new cards.

Looking at the new auditions found Izuku in ownership of The Wood and The Firey; The Wood looking like a woodland sprite--a Dryad--from western mythology, and The Firey like an androgynous, fiery angel, just as it had in its released form.

“Young man, you better have a good explanation for using your quirk to antagonize me like this.” Izuku’s wonderment at the cards was broken by the gruff voice of Endeavor. Looking up brought the image of the scowling hero and a few police officers behind him, each one having an expression that screamed trouble.

_ ‘I’m dead.’ _

“Oi, you fucks; he’s had his quirk for barely even a week.” The heroes and police officers turned to the angry blond that just appeared at the greenette’s side. Kero seemed to have followed the blond, rejoining the Cardcaptor in the face of all the officers.

“Do not lie to me, boy!”

“I-it’s true!” Izuku stammered out. The glares were swiftly directed at himself again. “Ah- I g-got it the most recent T-Tuesday; you can check the registry!” The green-haired boy shrank under the scrutinizing glare of Endeavor, the number two hero.

\-----

After reassuring the officers and heroes countless times that “yes, I just got my quirk,” and “no, I didn’t mean to attack anyone,” and a few “no, I didn’t even know I could do that.” In the end, Izuku was left with a warning and recommendation for quirk counseling. But the main thing that was permeating the boy’s mind was-

“I can’t believe Katsuki would leave me to the sharks like that! One second he’s defending me from the wrath of the number two hero, and the next he just walks away!” Izuku throws the rusted bike frame he’d been holding into the dumpster.

After the whole debacle with Wood and Firey, he’d tried to look for more heroes but just couldn’t bring himself to do it. The interaction he’d gotten with Endeavor left him emotionally drained as though he’d been dealing with six Bakugou Katsukis at once. 

Now the pair were at Takoba Beach, and Izuku was angrily loading the disposable trash from the sand into the city-provided dumpsters for his weight training. Kero, who’d silently watched the whole thing happen, wearily floated above.

“Can you really blame him though?” He asked.

“ _ Yes! _ I _ can!” _ Izuku shouted in response, each syllable accompanied with a pull on a microwave, yanking it free from the pile at his feet. “He knows I’m not good with confrontation! Heck, I’m not even good with people even being  _ mildly upset _ with me!” The microwave crashes heavily in the dumpster as Izuku is already grabbing something else to add.

“I knew we weren’t  _ friends _ , but I at least thought he’d help me out a  _ bit _ more!” Kero thought it best to not speak after that point. He could only watch as Izuku progressively got angrier and angrier, ranting as he picked up bigger and bigger things. Kero sweatdropped at the action, but at least the beach was getting cleaned as a result.

Behind the irate boy and his companion, the waves crashed against the sands.

“I mean,  _ come on! _ With how he’d acted before the whole incident, I had hoped that he’d gotten better, but  _ no! _ He can’t be bothered to help anybody but himself!”A particularly stubborn washing machine was being kicked by the greenette, not at all helping in the process of getting it out of the hole it’d fallen into.

The waves grew in size, the water creeping up the shore, reaching farther than normal at high tide. Kero, noticing this, tries to alert the boy. “Uh...Izuku?”

“And he just keeps doing this kind of thing! Acting like he’s better and everyone else is lesser! It makes me sick!” Suffice to say he didn’t hear him. With one last kick, the washing machine finally came free, and Izuku began his journey to the dumpster. 

The water level rose more, as did Kero’s panic. “Izuku, buddy?”

“I hope that one day, Katsuki needs my help, and I just let him have it! I just-!”

“Izuku!” Kero shouts.

“ _ What?!” _ The boy turns around to face the plush, stomping his feet in his anger. Wordlessly, the guardian motions to the water.

In his anger, Izuku failed to notice the water level rising, reaching all the way to the tips of his red high tops by the access stairs. All around him the garbage was submerged in the salty water, shifting the piles and causing things to fall.

“Did...did  _ I _ do that?” The greenette asked his winged companion.

“I hope so,” Kero says. “Because if it’s what I think it is, then we have a big problem.” As he says this the water only a few meters away begins to bubble up in an unnatural way. In only a few moments the bubbling water takes the form of a siren-like figure. “I spoke too soon,” Kero groaned.

In a flash Izuku summoned his staff, pointing it angrily towards the hissing siren. “I’m not in the mood, Watery!” Now having a proper target for his anger, Izuku yells as he runs to Watery’s body, swinging the staff once in range. “I came here to let off steam, and you just happen to be here as well;  _ great! _ ” he says sarcastically.

The green-haired boy ducks under a spout of water aimed at his head, continuing his assault on Watery. From above, Kero tried to shout encouragement and tactics; “You can’t capture Watery until it’s been separated from the ocean! If you keep swinging, all you’ll do is tire yourself out!”

“Thanks!” Izuku darts backward, nearly tripping over an errant bike handle. Eventually, he makes it to the road proper, and he stands there tauntingly. “Bet you’re too scared to try and catch me!” He yells, and it achieves the desired effect.

Hissing, Watery shoots forwards, two water spouts coming with her in her haste to attack the Cardcaptor. Before the attacks hit, Izuku has summoned both Fly and Windy, using the first to dodge into the air and the second to “Cut the connection!”

Windy complies, using a powerful gust of wind to disperse the line of water that connected Watery to the ocean. “Yeah!” Faster than he could blink, the water droplets that Windy had scattered regrouped, reattaching Watery to her source of power. “No!”

A couple of air maneuvers that left Izuku feeling sick later and the two were at an impasse. Izuku wanted this to be done, and Watery wanted this to be done, but the ways they wanted it to be done were fundamentally different. Izuku wanted a card, and Watery wanted freedom.

“Izuku,” Kero shouted, flying right up to the boy, “Use Firey!”

“Right, why didn’t  _ I _ think of that!” He lamented. Dodging another barrage of water attacks, Izuku pulled The Firey from his pocket. Just as he was about to summon the fiery angel, Izuku paused, but not before evading another attack.  _ ‘If I just use Firey, then Watery will put it out. But if I use Windy, too, then I can strengthen Firey’s wall!’ _

“Firey, cut off Watery’s supply! Windy, help Firey out!” In an instant the two were off; Watery tried to hold off Firey’s attack and wall, but with Windy deflecting the attacks and strengthening the firewall, it was effectively cut off.

“Now you have to trap it, otherwise it’ll just keep going!” 

“Right!” Pulling out the final piece to his barely structured, angry plan, Izuku called out; “Wood, summon mangrove trees and use them to absorb Watery!” From the card burst The Wood, her form like that of an elegant dryad; with explosive movement roots plunged themselves through Watery’s form, digging into the ground. As the seconds passed more and more roots appeared, taking with it a bit of Watery at a time.

Watery continued her struggle until finally, Wood had grown large enough, completely engulfing the card in itself. Now that the danger was over, Izuku and Kero made their way to ground level, the former walking to the new tree and the latter flying.

“ _ Watery, return to your form confined! _ ” Izuku pointed the staff at the tree as the magic circle flared beneath him. The blank card appeared as the magic that held Watery unraveled like ribbons. The pair watched, tired, as the card was fully pulled in, floating in finality to Izuku’s outstretched hand.

With Watery gone, the ocean water receded; the card’s influence dispelled. Izuku and Kero watched as the water swept away the trash, pulling it back into Tokyo Bay. The two sighed, the day’s events heavy on their minds even with the sun still high in the sky.

\-----

Izuku and Kero, walking away from Takoba Beach Park like a funeral procession, are headed home. In Izuku’s words: “Today has been so unreasonably mean to me, I need a snack.” Indeed, the day had been mean, and Kero wholeheartedly agreed on the snack. As they are walking, they get on the topic of cards again, because that is the main source of their headache.

“So I now have almost all the cards that we actually know about,” the greenette says. “Windy, Watery, Fiery, Wood, Fly, and Voice- and that’s three of the six strongest cards right there.” He paused to think, still keeping pace. “Actually, I thought they’d be harder to beat? I mean, you  _ did _ say that they command the others, so what gives?”

Kero thought about it for a moment. “I’d say it’s the quirks,” was his answer. Izuku gave a question in the form of a hum, to which Kero responded. “Well, you started with Windy, so that’s a given, but with Firey, I’d say they were fighting for control with that Endeavor guy; factor in the fact that Wood wasn’t letting Firey burn her branches, and then you have a seemingly easy fight.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t say anything about Watery though,” Izuku chimed. “I mean, she was in the  _ ocean _ . How much water does she need to have in order to be as strong as you said?”

“Watery  _ was  _ powerful,” Kero sweatdropped. “You just had Windy and Firey to literally cut her off from her supply. Also, Wood, against Watery, is immensely strong.”

“Yeah, okay.” And so they walked in silence for a spell. They passed one particularly grabby child, and Izuku was about to fight a kid he was so done with the day. After that particular encounter, he piped up again.

“You said, once, that whenever the cards are near, we can sense them?” Kero nodded. “So then why haven’t we? I mean, as far as I know, we’re the only magicians in this prefecture, so what gives? If you weren’t looking out for it, we would have never known Watery was even there.”

“That’s-” Kero began, then faltered, because he’d been thinking the same thing, actually. “Uh... I actually don’t have an answer for that one. Whenever I search for a card with my senses, I’m left with the feeling of a blanket being put over my head.”

“Do you think someone  _ is _ messing with us?” Izuku asked worriedly. The implications of that were not good. 

Kero shook his head, flying to be in front of Izuku as the pair stopped on the side of the path. “It’s more like something  _ else _ with magical power is too close, making me only focus on that. The only problem is, I don’t know what it  _ is _ , let alone stop it.”

The lion plush sighed, but Izuku began thinking. “You say it’s like a larger magical force is blocking you?” It was rhetorical, but Kero nodded anyway. “Well,” Izuku mused, “what if that magical force was me?

Kero gave the green-haired boy an incredulous glance. “No way.”

“It’s a possibility.”

“Sure, if you didn’t account for the fact that I’ve been able to sense your magic from the start,” he said. “Trust me, if it was you, I’d know.”

With the finality of Kero’s statement, the two restarted their trek to the Midoriya apartment. A few blocks down the road they saw a carwash fundraiser for a local youth program. It honestly wasn’t much more than a group of middle schoolers with buckets of soapy water, but a movement caught a certain green boy’s eye.

“Hey, Kero?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” Izuku pointed to the oddly moving pile of bubbles by the fundraiser.

“There wouldn’t happen to be a card that has to do with ‘washing’ or ‘bubbles’, right?” Kero nodded absently as he watched the pile of bubbles help the kids clean the recently-arrived car; Izuku sweatdropped. “Clow Reed needed a card for  _ bubbles _ , seriously?”

A paw made its way to the back of Kero’s head. “Well, actually, The Bubbles was made, specifically, to give me a bath; but wasn’t actually meant to be a card in the first place. It was an accident!” Kero laughed in his own embarrassment as Izuku gave him a side-eye.

“Whatever,” the boy sighed, already pulling out the key and summoning the staff. In a flash of light, Izuku was pointing the sealing staff’s star at the unsuspecting pile of bubbles. “Just get over here,” he said, half-serious and half too tired to care; “Please?”

In a moment of the universe finally being nice to Midoriya Izuku on this odd September Sunday, The Bubbles actually listened, forming a card without fuss and landing neatly in the boy’s hand.

“God, I hope we can actually make it home before anything else happens.”

“Yeah… I’m exhausted.”

\-----

Inko is at home, happily preparing dinner when her phone begins to ring beside her. “Oh? Izuku’s calling?” She says to herself. “I wonder what’s the matter…” She quickly dries her hands, reaching for the phone as she prepares herself for the rant her son will have about missing heroes or something of the like. Maybe he saw another kitten by the beach again. A smile pulls her lips and she’s answering the call with a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Yes, Izuku?” She begins. “Did you miss getting Kamui Woods’ autograph again?” The other end of the line is quiet, but the sounds of people are carrying through. “Izuku, honey?”

“Uh, Midoriya-san?” And that’s not her son, but his companion, Kero. What happened, is her boy alright? Does she need to run to the police station again? Or maybe this time it’s the hospital?! “I can hear you panicking from here.” Kero’s voice cuts through the worry that Inko had gotten herself into, bringing her back to this moment.

“Sorry, sorry. But, Izuku, is he okay? Why isn’t he on the phone? Is he hurt?” Oh, there’s the panic again.

“Don’t worry, Midoriya-san, Izuku is...fine.”

“...Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”

“Well…” Kero trails off, clearly not wanting to actually say why he’d called instead of Izuku.

“ _ Keroberos _ ,” Inko says in her no-nonsense tone. It always got Izuku to understand that going out at night  _ isn’t _ something a middle schooler should do to look for heroes. “What’s the matter?”

“Izuku… He may or may  _ not _ be currently...passed out?” Inko stayed quiet, so Kero continued. “The-  _ his quirk _ decided to...act up again, twice, and so he might have overdone it? I think the term is...quirk exhaustion?  _ Anyway _ , I need your help getting him home because I don’t think people take too kindly to middle schoolers collapsed in the middle of the sidewalk.”

Inko was quiet. Not her I’m-so-angry-I-can’t-speak quiet, and neither is it her I’m-going-into-shock-because-of-what-you-just-said quiet. No, it was her rare and powerful I’m-not-sure-whether-I-should-be-impressed-or-disappointed-in-you-right-now quiet.

Eventually, she gets her thoughts together enough to speak again. She decided to be disappointed to the point of fondness of her little boy. Even if he wasn’t awake to hear it, she switched between ranting about his impulsiveness and how she hoped he’d never change. To say Kero was left out of the rant was not true, and the drive to their apartment was plenty full of apologies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Yes, it is I: the author! I've come to speak more about the chapter!
> 
> One thing that I can think of right off the bat that some of you might have a problem with is Katsuki's characterization. I know, I made him.../strange/ in this chapter, but he's had a week of not bullying /anybody/ and he's been talked to by the teachers, his mother, father, and Inko. Now, they might have been a little different in what they told him, but it was the general "make friends, don't be an ass, do you /have/ friends?" kinda deal, so he's been thinking. Not hard, mind you, but enough at this point in time.
> 
> Next point: Izuku's characterization. So, you've probably seen that Izuku isn't nearly as timid as in canon, right? That's on purpose. He doesn't have the lingering "my dad might have left for America because of my quirklessness" thoughts, so that's a plus. He's been supported in his dream by Inko--to an extent. Like, she realized that she wasn't the best and let him train and all that jazz, but she still let off the air of "you could get hurt" like any concerned mother. She doesn't think he's glass, no sirree, but she has some fears (heroism is a dangerous profession, she's right to be worried).  
> In the point of his little rant before the Watery fight: I've been bullied. I've been timid and small and fearful, but I'd also be majorly angry. Izuku having anger is human and normal and okay--I get the point Horikoshi is making by having canon!Izuku not be an angry person, but anger is cathartic sometimes. Especially in that kind of circumstance. Let Izuku be angry 2020! (ignoring the newest arcs... that stuff- /yikes/)
> 
> Third point: the Cards. So, in the anime, Sakura gets Windy first, and then Watery is her fourth card. It takes almost a full season for her to get Firey, and then she gets Earthy last. I just felt that Watery and Firey would be nice to have, so I gave them to him. Yes, I know that Fiery was a hard fight, but also know that quirks and the cards are going to interact weirdly. Watery being so easy despite being right in the ocean... having a literal firewall cutting Watery's main body from the ocean will do that to you. Plus, in the Chinese five-element system, Wood trumps Water... take that how you will--it's just like how Earthy was beaten with Wood in the anime for that same reason.
> 
> I loved writing that part with The Bubbles! Oh man, it was funny. Just- Izuku being so done and tired, sees a Sakura card, and immediately threatens it. Gold. Note: The Bubbles is one of the cards that you never see Sakura catch or use in the anime. She catches it over the break between episodes 35-36 (I believe?) which is spring break--also the same time when the first movie happens!!!
> 
> Bubbles, Firey, and Watery will be appearing in later chapters for fun little bits, so if you're waiting for Izuku to interact with his cards, don't fret; it'll happen!!
> 
> That's the end of this set of author's notes! I hope you all had a good time reading and have a great New Year! (Seriously, have a good 2021, because /nothing/ can beat out 2020--I sincerely hope.)


	4. Strange Pets and Competitions!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku faces a dilemma and goes on a school trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! I'm back after... eight days! I hope that you can enjoy this chapter just like that last few! I will say that this isn't my greatest writing, but if I don't get it out now, I'll never do it.
> 
> Also, sorry for basically info-dumping my obsession of Cardcaptor Sakura onto you guys last time; but I will say that the rest of my orders came in and I'm very happy! (I can't wait until April for the last volume of Clear Card!)
> 
> So, without further ado, here's 12 pages--4,545 words--of Cardcaptor Izuku!

“Welcome back, Izuku-kun!”

Izuku waved to Miki-san as he walked in the pet rescue; “Hey, Miki-senpai! How was your weekend?” Kero floated behind him as he pulled on his work apron. While he’d been upset at the prospect of having to miss out on hero-watching, being with animals was just as fulfilling. Currently, it was his second week of being grounded, but he’s managed; plus, the animals like Kero, so that’s a bonus.

“It was great! My little Hideo-tan has just started to form sentences!” The older man gushed. “It was so amazing when he told me he loved me ‘bigger than cheese’!” 

Miki-san was divorced, amicably, three years ago and has weekends and winters with his kid, Miki-chan. Constantly the man talks about his kid, so much so that he’s been asking Izuku for advice on parenting.

“I’m sure it was great,” Izuku laughs, “but I still have to work. So,” the two turn to each other, green eyes meeting pure black ones. “What do we need today?”

“Well, we just got two new abandoned pets yesterday, so we need to check up on them. The dog kennels need to be cleaned out and then a few need a bath, specifically Emi, Aki, and Adzuki.” Izuku nodded, already grabbing the cleaning supplies and protective coverings. “Then we just have the usual: food, water, and play.”

A couple of hours later brings Izuku and Kero to the newly abandoned pets, Miki-san standing beside him. “These are them?” the greenette motioned to the two kennels beside one another, each holding a cowering animal.

“Yeah,” Miki-san nodded. “The one on the left is a rabbit and the one on the right is a Somali cat, and, get this, both are named Sakura.” Izuku gave an incredulous look to his senior, who laughed at his reaction. “I know, it’s funny. Also, we think they belonged to the same household because they both have the same pet-safe star earrings.”

Kero perked up a bit at the mention of the earrings, something that Izuku did not miss. With nothing more than a simple instruction to not let them loose, Miki-san left the two alone to feed the rest of the animals. As soon as the door that separated the animals and the store, the two magic users turned to one another.

“I think these are the Jump and Dash cards,” kero started off with, not even giving Izuku time to ask. “Named Sakura, and star earrings on pets? Rabbit and cat? Has got to be them.”

“Okay, but anybody can name their pets Sakura and give them earrings. It’s the quirk-era, stranger things have happened.”

“Look at your cards.” And he does, pulling a few from the holster that he’d bought on Sunday. “See the star earrings? All of the ones you have except Windy and Fly have them. It’s a sign of their place in the Sakura Cards.” Indeed, the mentioned cards did have star-shaped earrings.

“That’s a compelling argument, but how are we supposed to capture them?” The green-haired boy pointed to the two cages holding the respective cards. “We can’t exactly seal them now; Miki and the other employees would know and we’d get in trouble.”

Kero sighed, knowing he was right. Eventually, they began their job, because they were still on the clock, so they were busy filling the food and water supplies for each of the different kennels. Occasionally they would have the opportunity to bring a few animals out, playing with them for a little while before having them put away again.

Izuku had just closed the cage for Mikan when Kero flew into his face. “ _ You _ can just take them!”

“What did I say about them going missing?” Izuku deadpanned.

“No, no, I mean you can just adopt them! You can get all the paperwork and stuff signed, and then when we get home you seal them up!” Kero said excitedly. “That way, you get the cards  _ and _ you don’t get in trouble! It’s a win-win!”

The greenette hummed in thought, truly thinking it over. If they could get away with it, then it’d be perfect! The only problem was: “I don’t have the money, and mom would make me pay since they’d be my responsibility.” At the reminder, Kero visibly dimmed his excitement.

“Ah, right.”

\-----

It was the next day, Tuesday, and while that was not really significant to anybody but the students in the archery club, it was to Izuku. It was the two-week mark of him finding Kero and the Sakura Cards, and also the second day of knowing where Dash and Jump are.

_ ‘Maybe I can seal them and then say they escaped?’ _ Izuku thought to himself. He was currently walking towards the pet rescue, so this was important to think about.  _ ‘I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time an animal has run away, but I’d be lying.’ _

He’s at a loss of what to do. Kero was at home playing a new video game that he’d learned about online. He started it last night and wanted to play it today so he stayed. The greenette was slightly miffed at the guardian because of this, but Kero needed to have fun too, so… If only he hadn’t done it when he needed advice.

“Afternoon, Itoh-senpai,” Izuku greeted his coworker for the day. Itoh-senpai was a college sophomore, working towards his bachelor’s degree in veterinary service, and was actually only three years Izuku’s senior.

“Hey, Izuku-kun! How was school?” Itoh said, his red eyes scanning him for any distress. That was his quirk, a passive field of empathy, but works better on animals so he calls it Animal Whisperer. It’s silly, but so is he. He must have found something to set him off because suddenly he’s looking concerned.

“It was okay,” Izuku says, trying to assuage the elder’s fears. “I just have something on my mind since yesterday. Sorry if it’s distracting, but I promise I’m good!” The greenette smiles, putting on his workplace apron, already grabbing the broom for the kennels.

“Alright,” Itoh says reluctantly. “Just know that I might be able to help if you need me to.” Izuku nods and begins his work.

\-----

Izuku sighs tiredly as he flops onto his bed. “I just don’t know what to do about them, Kero.” He turns his head so that he’s facing the guardian. Kero’s still playing that game, furiously spamming buttons on the controller as his character attacked a monster. “How are we supposed to get Dash and Jump out of there? I don’t want a random person to be attacked by them should they unknowingly adopt the cards.”

Kero didn’t reply, too busy controlling his character. “I mean, we  _ could _ ‘steal’ them-” he used air quotes “-but I would feel guilty. And adopting them is out of the picture because I’d have to pay,  _ and _ them disappearing would be a red flag for my mom.” He sighed again while Kero cried out in victory over the game.

Kero finally paused after Izuku’s third sigh, turning to find the boy trying to merge with the mattress. “Alright, alright; give me a second.” The lion plush quickly saved his game, flying over to the bed where his charge lay, depressed.

“So the problem is getting them, right?”

“Yeah, but also in keeping the fact that they’re cards a secret.”

“Well,” Kero began slowly, “what if you  _ don’t _ keep it a secret?” Izuku looked at the plush incredulously. 

“ _ You _ were the one saying magic like the cards are to be under wraps. Now you want me to tell everyone?”

Kero sweatdropped. “You’re right, I did say that, but what if we told them it was another part of your ‘quirk’? Like, say, what if  _ all _ aspects of the quirk were sentient to a point?” Izuku raised a brow. “Like,  _ I’m _ sentient, and the cards themselves are, so what if we told them that they…  _ tested you _ ?” The last part was said like a question, even though it was  _ supposed _ to be a statement.

“You mean like I have to pass a ‘challenge’ set by the card before I can use it?” Kero nodded frantically, glad that the boy got it so quickly. “Hm... I guess it could work. It would explain how the cards suddenly appear once I’ve ‘beaten’ the challenge, and also explain why my quirk keeps acting up… Yeah, that could be good.” Izuku’s smiling at that point, nearly getting up from the bed, before he frowns.

“But that wouldn’t explain why my ‘quirk’ is in the kennels.” The greenette flops back onto the mattress, nearly sending Kero to the floor with the force.

\-----

“I’ve got it!” Kero yells suddenly. The two Midoriyas stared at him from their places at the dining table, Izuku nearly dropping his sushi in surprise.

Inko, bless her heart, takes the outburst in stride. “What did you figure out, Kero? A part of your game?”

“Hm? No, no; I’ve figured a way to explain why Izuku’s quirk is in a cage!”

Two pairs of green eyes stare at the flying lion plush. One confused and fearful, and the other completely done.

\-----

“Did you  _ have _ to shout that out loud during dinner?” The greenette gives Kero a side glance. The two were walking from school to the pet rescue; it’s Wednesday now and Kero had finalized the theory with Inko that night, fleshing out the story even if his mother didn’t realize just  _ what _ she was helping with.

Kero raised a paw to his head in embarrassment. “It was an accident; I was excited about finally figuring out the lie and it just slipped out.” Izuku rolled his eyes, opening the door to the pet rescue and finding Itoh-senpai again; Kero flew to grab Izuku’s apron for him as the greenette followed.

“Hey there, Kero, Izuku,” Itoh greeted. Kero grunted his greeting as his mouth was full of apron. Izuku smiled and gave a brief wave.

“Afternoon, Itoh-senpai.” Izuku relieved kero of his apron transport duty, pulling on and tying it behind him. Something about his mood must have alerted Itoh’s quirk because the older man was grinning at him.

“I see you’ve figured out your problem? Hopefully, it wasn’t too difficult.”

“Yeah! In the end, it was all just right there in front of me.” 

“Most of the time that’s how it goes.”

“Right,” Izuku agrees. “Now, Itoh-senpai, tell me, the rabbit and cat Sakuras, they haven’t been adopted or claimed, right?”

“No, it’s actually policy to keep them for two weeks after finding them in order to reacclimate them. Also, it helps in the process of being between families,” Itoh replied. Then he gave Izuku a confused look. “Why’d you need to know?”

Izuku gave his senior a big smile, matching Kero’s beside him. “Because those aren’t pets, but my quirk!” Kero laughed at Itoh’s expression, but Izuku quickly shushed him. “No, really; Kero was explaining it more last night because I felt a pull towards them since Monday. Then, as we got to it we realised that they were physical manifestations of my abilities.”

Itoh nodded, slowly gaining back control over his facial expression. “Why would they have been found outside rather than with you? Wouldn’t that make more sense?”

Kero took over. “The cards that Izuku has are sentient to a degree and they don’t like to be used until he’s passed a challenge of theirs. These two were likely hiding but were brought in by you guys, and since we’ve found them Izuku can gain the cards.”

Itoh looked a little bit more confused at that part and looked to Izuku for clarification. “It’s a Specialty Quirk thing, I guess.” That brought Itoh out of his stupor, giving a nod to the green-haired boy and his lion plush companion.

“So… how do you ‘gain’ the ‘cards’,” Itoh asks, putting air quotes around the two words. “I can’t believe it actually working since you, technically, were not the one to find them.” The three all began a walk to the cages holding The Jump and The Dash, Itoh wanting to see it go down.

“All I have to do is use my quirk and then they’re mine. It’s a little…  _ extra _ , even by quirk standards, but it’s what I have to do. And their challenge wasn’t actually ‘hide-and-seek’, but more like ‘hide-and-seek  _ tag _ ’, if that makes any more sense.”

“Yeah, it does.” They entered the room with Jump and Dash. Itoh gave a glance to the room lined with cages and animals. “Ah, we don’t have to worry about the animals’ safety, right?”

Izuku moved to the specific cages and found the two cards staring at him patiently. Very different from their curled up positions from the past two days. “No, it should be good. My quirk isn’t inherently destructive, but if your quirk tells you that the others are distressed or uncomfortable, I can stop to relocate a few.” The greenette turned to his coworker and found him nodding in agreement.

Pulling out the star key, Izuku summoned the staff in a flash of soft, golden light. Kero snickered at Itoh’s reactionary gasp, but other than that he said nothing.  _ ‘Good; none of the animals panicked from the light. Hopefully, they don’t freak when the ribbons appear,’ _ he thought, pointing the end of the staff at the two caged cards.

Now that he’s actually getting a good look at them, Izuku has to wonder how anybody thought they were normal pets. The Jump was a pink rabbit with a golden star on the crown of its head, certainly not normal. The Dash was a light purple with darker fur at its paws, tail tip, and the ends of its ears. They also both had star-shaped earrings. Yeah, definitely not normal animal markings, but whatever.

_ “Return to your form confined: Sakura Card!” _ With the same golden light, the magic circle appeared on the ground. Izuku glanced at his senior to find him gaping. Soon the rectangles appeared and the ribbons trailing from Jump and Dash into their respective cards. Much quicker than expected, the two cards were formed and floated into Izuku’s hand as the magic circle disappeared.

“That...was cool.” Izuku and Kero giggled at the older man’s reaction to magic disguised as a quirk.

“Yeah, it probably was, huh?”

\-----

“So Jump and Dash… They let me do exactly what they’re named for, yeah?” Kero nodded, mouth full of his lunch.

The two were sitting beneath a tree on school grounds, eating lunch near other students for the first time in a decade for Izuku.  _ ‘Not much different from sitting alone, but somehow it feels...nice.’ _ He took another bite of his rice ball as he watched his schoolmates interact with one another. On the opposite end of the field were Katsuki and his small group. They’d agreed beforehand that they’d separate themselves just to keep the rest of the school sane. 

It’s a little bit petty, but Izuku also would like something that resembled an apology from the boy before they got back to “talking”. Not just for the past decade, but also for what he’d subjected him to that weekend; just leaving him to the hands of the police and Endeavor. The  _ nerve _ .

“Yeah, but like Dash says, it’s not meant for long distances, so don’t expect anything over four-hundred meters or longer than five minutes. And Jump? Yeah, that one’s weird and will let you jump over Tokyo Tower if you wanted.” Izuku almost choked at Kero’s nonchalant mention of Jump’s abilities. He pounded a fist to his chest in order to get his breathing under control.

“You-You're s _ erious?” _ Kero nodded, taking another bite into his tamagoyaki. “Woah…” He trailed off, thinking about  _ actually _ jumping over Tokyo Tower. If he remembered correctly, that’s at least... _ three-hundred thirty-three meters! _ He continued to think over Jump and Dash’s abilities when an announcement was played over the intercom system.

[“Tomorrow, the archery club will be travelling to Kobayashi Middle School in Mobara in order to participate in a friendly competition between schools. All students wishing to attend must turn in their permission slips by homeroom tomorrow. A reminder that, as well as the competition, there will be activities for anyone to participate as a way into the archery club. Thank you, that is all.”]

“I kinda forgot that was happening tomorrow,” Izuku said absently. “I guess I’ve been too worried about Dash and Jump to pay attention.” He turned to his companion, eyeing his empty bento. “Kero, would you want to go? It’s a free pass to skip classes for a day.”

Kero hummed, tilting his head in a show of thinking it over. “Yeah, sure, why the heck not. It’s not like  _ I’m _ the one who needs the classes anyway.”

“I don’t know, those history classes are proving to be quite useful for you.”

“Whatever!”

\-----

“How’d you convince your mom to let you go the night before the trip? I thought your mom was all about you being safe and doing well in school, not signing permission slips twelve hours before the trip happens.” Kero was sitting on his bag, which was on his knees.

They were currently in the boarding phase, waiting for the rest of the students to finish boarding the bus the school had acquired for the drive seeing as it would add a half hour to use the trains. Also, losing children in foot traffic is not a good thing, either.

“Well,” Izuku said, “it has to do with the fact that she approves of anything academic, and she’s always pushing for me to join an afterschool club. So, since the trip is potentially both she jumped for it.” Kero hummed at the explanation, going silent as the teachers announced they were leaving now.

_ ‘No one took the spot next to me,’ _ Izuku thought. He looked around and found that most everyone was to themselves.  _ ‘At least it wasn’t because of me this time.’ _ As the drive started in earnest, Izuku pulled out the Kero-specific headphones and mp3 player for the lion plush to use, grabbing his own in the process.

\-----

“Woah, look at that field!” 

“It’s called an archery  _ range _ , Takemata-kun.”

Izuku suppressed a snicker at the first-years’ antics. It’s still quite odd that he’s able to do that without reparations, but he’s getting used to it. “I wonder how long until it starts?” Kero’s question was immediately answered by the archery club director, Sato-sensei.

“You have twenty minutes to look around and interact with the students at Kobayashi and the booths before the main event begins. Afterwards, you will have an hour to participate in the various events set up on the grounds.”

A small cheer came from the thirty-odd students from Orudera, excited for their newfound freedom. At least half had come just to leave classes, Izuku knew, so only fifteen or so were actually there to pay attention.

Ten minutes later found Izuku and Kero absentmindedly wandering around the different booths. They’d spent five watching part of a video presentation about the art of archery, and the other five getting lost in his head. Okay, perhaps not lost, but definitely not really fully there.

“Izuku, let’s go to that one!” Kero’s excited call brought Izuku back to the forefront, walking towards the small range set up against a board for loose arrows. It had room for one target and was likely ten meters long. Not much for a ‘range’, but for untrained kids and newly joined members it was probably great.

“I can set you up in just a second if you mind waiting?” The booth runner asked. Nodding, Izuku set himself up to watch the participant; a girl with a rather interesting haircut and outfit was currently firing the bow with ease, managing a...nine or ten per arrow, or so the sign beside the range said.

“She’s pretty good, Kero.” He looked at his floating partner. “Why’d you want me to do this one?”

The flying lion plush got close, hovering by his ear. “Because that’s a card; The Arrow, if I’m right.” Kero was probably right, as the girl--The Arrow--fired and managed to shatter the aluminium--like the sign said--arrow as it impaled one already in the target. Yeah, he was right.

“So… How do you suppose we get her to come with us?”

“I don’t know.”

“Thanks.”

\-----

In the end, they didn’t figure it out, even as they followed The Arrow to different booths and participated. The main event was called and everyone gathered in the stands that surrounded the range.

Izuku wasn’t really an archery buff, so it mostly passed by with his mind elsewhere. That isn’t to say he didn’t appreciate the work the participants put in. He also cheered for his classmates, so… That didn’t make the event any more time-consuming. Finally, the placements were announced and they were released to the booths and events once more, but this time having more opportunities to look around.

Right now the two magic users were following Arrow around the event, watching her compete against amateurs and club members alike. She wasn’t the best in everything, only really excelling in a straight competition, but in the trick shot events, she faltered. Magic or not, The Arrow was skilled but had her flaws.

“Any ideas,” Kero asks, watching Arrow enter another small event. “She’s good, and I don’t think you have to best her in skill….” Kero trailed off, muttering to himself. “I just wish I could remember how Sakura originally caught the card.”

Izuku gave his companion a look, seeing him wilt at the memory- or, the lack of one, at least. “It’s fine that you can’t remember,” Izuku said candidly. “Honestly, if I had you telling me how Sakura caught the cards in the past, I’d think it unfair to the cards.” The green-haired boy gave his companion a smile, one that was reciprocated.

“Besides,” he continued, “I quite like the challenge that each card poses. Makes me feel like I’m getting real-life experience against villains.” The two watched as Arrow got second place in the event, calmly walking away; the magic users followed her still. “I wonder if she’d come with us if we used her to compete…”

It was a stray thought that had just appeared in his mind.  _ ‘The Wood ended up coming without much fuss, and The Bubbles came willingly without even needing the staff’s magic.’ _ Izuku thought about the scenario as he continued to follow the lavender haired card.  _ ‘She probably wants her power to be used to its fullest ability; maybe she can’t do it on her own?’ _

“What?” Oh right, Kero had heard his question.

“I just thought that she might like being used?” He gave a nervous look to Kero. “I mean, she’s only entering the events and booths that have a competitive aspect to them, so maybe she wants to continue?”

Kero moved a paw to sit below his chin. “Hm… The Arrow  _ is _ one of the more competitive cards…” Kero continued to think as they moved. Izuku thought Kero might discard the idea but was surprised when the lion plush said, “I think it’ll work!”

Minds made, the two moved to approach The Arrow. She was just approaching another booth, and if Izuku was remembering correctly, the final ‘competition’ as the whole thing ended in ten minutes. Gaining the card’s attention, Izuku and Kero got her to stop, and also summon her bow.  _ ‘Yikes.’ _

“A-ah…” Izuku sweatdropped at the weapon aimed at him. “I was actually hoping to talk?” He rubbed the back of his head when The Arrow squinted her eyes, getting Kero to hide behind the boy. “U-um, well… I was just thinking that you really liked competing and shooting, so maybe, if you let yourself be caught, I could use you to join the archery club at school?”

Once again, his persuasion skills needed polishing, but at least the card was considering the offer and not just attacking. Seeing her lingering hesitation, Izuku continued. “What I mean is, my mom wants me to join a club to make friends and whatnot, and if you helped me I could do that. And then, since I’d be using you to practice and stuff, you’d be participating as well?”

It was a tense few seconds where The Arrow drew back her drawstring a little further, an arrow appearing. The greenette didn’t dare move a muscle, a sentiment that Kero seemed to share seeing as he hid inside his school bag.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to the novice Cardcaptor, The Arrow dematerialized her bow, dropping her arms to her sides as she nodded in agreement.  _ ‘Oh thank god!’ _ Izuku let out a sigh, a hand reaching his chest in relief.  _ ‘I honestly thought I was going to get shot.’ _

Without further hesitation the staff was summoned, The Arrow was captured, and Izuku now had a new card in his possession.

[“Attention all in attendance: The Orudera-Kobayashi Archery Introduction will be ending in ten minutes.”

“As a final reminder: any final participants for the novice archery competition. Please make your way to the tall, blue tent. The novice competition is for any willing to participate, so make sure to sign up..”]

The announcement startled Izuku a bit, as did Kero flying out of his bag. “You got the card! Now, all we have to do is get home and we’re all good to go!” The plush lion’s smile was bright and infectious. Izuku found himself joining in as he looked back at the card.

“Not just yet,” The Cardcaptor said. “There’s still something I need to do.”

\-----

“Woah! Midoriya-kun, I never knew you were such a natural with a bow!” Yoshida-chan’s surprise was mirrored by most of his classmates. For the final event, Izuku had joined, using The Arrow to give him skills with a bow; Kero said it wasn’t how the card was meant to be used, but it worked, didn’t it?

Now, as they were loading up the bus to start the drive back to Orudera, he was getting addressed by his schoolmates, all because he got first place in the novice competition. “A-ah, well,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, “I guess it’s just a hidden talent, huh?”

“Come along, kids,” Sato-sensei interrupted, corralling them all onto the bus. “You can ask Midoriya-kun all you want on the bus and back at the school. We still have an hour and fifteen minutes before we arrive back, after all.” The students conceded, climbing in the vehicle. As Izuku was about to follow suit, he was stopped by Sato-sensei. “I do hope you consider joining, Midoriya-kun; the skill you have is impressive.”

She let go and Izuku made it back to his seat. The whole of the drive was spent with Izuku fending off curious questions from his classmates. There was nothing he could really tell them besides “Kero convinced me to try for the fun of it; I’ve never held a bow before in my life.”

In his bag, The Arrow was sitting contentedly in the Sakura Book. She was happy that someone would finally use her more than once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! It's done!
> 
> I decided for Izuku to get Jump and Dash like this from the beginning--sorry to all the readers who were hoping for Dash and Iida to bond--and the little thing with Arrow was just spur of the moment thinking.
> 
> Don't expect the card capturing to go the exact same way it did in the manga or anime, because I just think that's a little lame. Oh well.
> 
> I'll be seeing you all in another 7-9 days!  
> (And I L O V E your comments!)


	5. Izuku's Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fall storm reveals a certain Cardcaptor's past...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, I'm back! It's not even been a week and I already had to physically restrain myself from posting this TWO days after the last one.
> 
> This chapter /does/ have to do with death mentions, so if you're upset by that, skip the section after Izuku's phone call with his mother--I'll leave a little summary of that part in the bottom notes in case anyone needs it since it /is/ semi-relevant to the plot...
> 
> Hmm... Oh! This is my first /official/ time writing any kind of angst for a character, so please be kind. It's not great, but that's because I can neither write angst nor fluff in an effective way... Woe is me, honestly.
> 
> Well! Without further ado! Here are 15 pages--5,408 words--of Cardcaptor Izuku!!!

“Izuku! You’re not going to have time for a shower if you don’t wake up now!” Inko’s call came directly from the kitchen, rousing the sleeping teen from his dreams. They weren’t anything spectacular, only fleeting visions of playing with Katsuki again, going to a hero school, and his father. Yeah, the dreams weren’t anything amazing.

“I’ll be out in a few,” Izuku mumbled tiredly. No one really paid him any mind as he grabbed his extra uniform, pulling it along into the bathroom. It’s a known fact that teens are moody in the morning--as well as everyone else--so Inko and Kero just continued getting themselves food for the morning.

Inko chuckles at her son’s various groans coming from behind the bathroom door, likely dropping his things in a blind grab. “Oh Izuku, you silly boy,” she mutters fondly. The golden guardian of the seal flitted through the air towards the couch as he munched on a granola bar.

“Well,” Kero says through a mouthful of food, “let’s see what’s happening today…” He turns on the tv, already set to the news for the morning.

[“-Morning Musutafu! Azuma-san and I are here to bring you the morning news, letting you know how your day is going to start!”

“Yes, and what a lovely day it’s going to be, Hoga-san, with the high of twenty-five and a low of seventeen, today is looking to be your average almost-fall day!”

“Right now, we have a bit of cloud cover, but by seven-thirty it should be clear skies with a bit of a breeze. Around noon we expect to reach our high with- I’m sorry, but I seem to be getting reports of a growing cold front coming in quickly from the south.”

“The approaching cold front is expected to reach our recently brought on warm front within-  _ minutes _ . Citizens of Musutafu, I’m sorry to say, but it seems that our nice and sunny day has just been replaced with a freak, fall storm.”]

“Oh, that’s no good,” Inko says, frowning at the new reports of the storm. Already the two could see the rain beginning to fall heavily, hitting the windows and drowning out the sounds of morning traffic. Inko frowned at the heavy rainfall, then looked to the bathroom door. “Izuku’s not going to like this at all…”

Kero tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why wouldn’t Izuku like the rain? I mean, I get it, rain isn’t fun, but it’s not that bad.”

“Oh, well…” the concerned mother bit her lip in worry. “It’s just- after an... _ accident _ when he was five, Izuku’s never really been fond of storms, or rain, really, but the main problem is whenever the storms happen suddenly, like this one.”

The plush flew to be level with Inko’s face; “What happened to make Izuku hate rain storms so bad? You’d think he’d be all about it, what with the whole science behind it and all-” Kero made a generic gesture to the window “- _ that. _ ”

“I guess it has to do with the fact that-”

The bathroom door opened slowly, steam flowing out around the freshly cleaned green-haired teen with messy, damp hair. Green met green and Inko’s face fell, watching her son’s eyes darken a little at the view beyond the living room window. The plump mother sighed as she motioned to the kitchen where a plate of pancakes and eggs sat on the counter. It’s an unfortunate matchup--the weather and the meal--but she hadn’t known, not the Izuku would ever blame her.

“Make sure to take your heavy-duty umbrella,” Inko said to her son. “I’ll pull your rain boots and coat from the closet so you can leave right after you finish eating.” Her son just nodded mutely, eating as fast as he could. It’s unfortunate that it’s not because of his fondness for the meal.

Kero just looked on at the two Midoriyas, watching as they seemed to just barely dance around the elephant in the room. The guardian couldn’t help but feel upset on his companion’s behalf, if only he knew what for…

\-----

Kero flew beside the green-haired teen, using the umbrella to keep dry. For the past five minutes, he continued to think about what Inko had almost said, but he just couldn’t think of the cause of his normally cheerful friend’s sudden change in mood. “So… What’s with you and the rain?” Tactless, but effective, if the slight glare he’s gotten has anything to say about it.

Green eyes faced forward once again, a quiet voice replying; “I don’t know what you mean.” Clearly a deflection, but Kero already knows  _ something _ so that’s not going to work on the guardian beast.

“Your mom told me it was something of an accident when you were five?” He’s really pushing it right now with his prodding, but he wants to know, wants to  _ understand _ so he can comfort the boy.

“It’s really nothing  _ that _ crazy,” Izuku said. “It’s just- when I was five, I was playing with my friends, right? So, we were in the woods and then a sudden storm started as we were playing a round of hide ‘n’ seek.” The two kept walking towards the school building that just appeared around the corner.

“I was a hider that round, but the others decided to collectively quit and run back home.” Izuku took a deep breath. “Well, they forgot to let  _ me _ know, and since I’m five and not really wanting to let myself be found, I stayed hidden.

“Predictably the rain got worse, and I was scared by the loud thunder so I sat inside a tree stump the whole time, just crying. Since then-” he shrugged “-I’ve just never really liked storms that much.” And that’s it. That’s all Kero needed to know. He was a kid, got lost in the rain, and then made it home. That’s enough reason to understand and offer some comfort.

So  _ why _ does he feel like something isn’t quite right? Like something is wrong?

\-----

“Hey, Midoriya-kun!” The boy looked up from his desk to see Yoshida-chan quickly making her way to him. Her blonde hair bounced lightly atop her head in curls; her quirk was specialized elasticity in her hair, allowing it to be changed at will so she always came to school with various styles. It made it quite easy to keep out of her face whenever she practised.

“What can I do for you, Yoshida-chan?” They were just let out of school, the beginning groups for clubs forming as others left quickly.

She smiled at him--and  _ wow _ , can never really get used to  _ not  _ getting bullied, huh? “Well, Sato-sensei sent out a message for all of the archery club members that we had to cancel due to the weather, but since you never told us if you’d join or not last Friday, she wanted me to let you know.”

At the reminder of the storm, Izuku’s green eyes narrowed the tiniest bit at the window, then closed in a smile as he turned back to his classmate. “Thank you, Yoshida-chan; I’ll be sure to head towards the faculty office before leaving so I can actually join the club!”

“Right!” She nodded happily at the news. “Well, I guess that I’ll see you at our next meeting, which should be tomorrow if the weather gets better.” She waved, leaving, “See you, Midoriya-kun!”

Izuku quickly packed up his supplies and made his way to the third-year’s teacher’s faculty office, dropping off the signed club forms, which Sato-sensei thanked him for. Continuing on his way, the greenette trudged through the torrential downpour, ignoring the way the water sloshed around his feet.

A look to the sky brought a bit of wetness, but let green eyes scan the cloud formations above. “All day it’s just been rain, rain, and more rain,” Izuku muttered. “Normally it’d be a storm by now, so where’s the-” He gets cut off by a sudden clap of thunder, the sound vibrating through him. “There it is…”

“Hey, Izuku,” Kero said, flying from his school bag, abandoning his dry haven. The greenette looked at his companion. “This storm’s not normal.” They both took a moment to watch the clouds, stopping on the sidewalk.

“You’re right, Kero,” the teen replies, punctuated by another thunderclap, this one louder than the first. “There’s no lightning.” The observation was accompanied by two more rumbles of thunder, but as he’d said, no lightning lit up the dark clouds despite how close they should have been.

“You don’t think it could be a Sakura Card, do you?”

The lion plush thought for a moment, trying to sense whether magic did have a part in this. Nothing….nothing…. _ there! _ “It is! But it’s more than one, so be on your guard!” Green hair bounced as the Cardcaptor nodded, summoning the sealing staff in a flash of golden light.

The two scanned their surroundings, weary of the cards that could have made the storm. “Any idea which ones? Something like rain or maybe even thunder? Those two seem to be the most obvious out of everything.”

“No, Rain is too weak to do something this widespread; they’re mainly a light drizzle, not this. But I think Thunder could be a part of this…” Kero trailed off, thinking again.

“Thunder, you said?” The plush nodded absently and Izuku sighed. “How’re we supposed to trap  _ sound? _ If it were Rain--which, there’s a rain card?--then I’d just use Watery, but you said it’s stronger, so what’s stronger than rain than-”

At once, both magic users exclaimed at the same time, “Storm!”

“Right, which means we have to find the center, otherwise we’ll never dispel Storm; it’ll just keep reforming.” Nodding, the two began their search.

Reluctantly, the teenage magician closed his umbrella, flinching at the cold rain now hitting the back of his neck. Within seconds the two were soaked. “Fly!” With the beating of green wings, Izuku soared into the air, scanning his surroundings.

All around were dense, dark clouds and streaking rain leaving them with low visibility. Another crash of thunder sounded, leaving a slight ringing in their ears, but Izuku saw something odd.

“Hey, Kero… The Thunder card isn’t just thunder, is it?” The golden guardian didn’t even get the change to answer as a streak of lightning just barely missed the two, their hair standing on end despite the water weighing them down.

They continued to narrowly dodge The Thunder’s assault, each time crying out in alarm as it began to get closer on each pass. “We can’t keep this up much longer!” The Thunder touched down on the roof of a building, giving them a bit of a reprieve, one that Izuku took with pleasure.

“How do we get this card under control? The only offensive cards I have are Windy, Watery, Fiery and Arrow--well, maybe Bubbles, too, but that’s pushing it…” The greenette devolved into rapid-fire mutterings about Bubble’s offensive capabilities before Kero snapped him out of it.

“Izuku, focus.” The greenette blushed, nodding. “Ah! I just remembered: you have to reveal Thunder’s true form before you can capture it!”

“Right, okay!” The Cardcaptor pulled those four cards from his bag--he really needed a place to keep them, properly--looking at them as Kero kept watch on the still-crackling Thunder on the rooftop. “I’d say maybe using Windy to bind Thunder? But Thunder isn’t technically a  _ physical _ thing that can be trapped…”

“Good, because Windy is useless against Thunder anyway.”

“Nice to know,” Izuku said sarcastically in his slight panic. “Okay, so Windy’s out, and so is Firey--because it’s raining--leaving us with Watery and Arrow.” He’d just finished putting away the two unusable cards when Kero shouted.

“It’s coming back!” And it was; the amorphous bundle of lightning--named  _ Thunder _ , of all things, now that he thought about it--came speeding towards them, a narrow dodge downwards the only saving grace.

“Couldn’t you have waited a few more minutes?! I was close to a plan!” The complaint was ignored, ultimately being replaced by a yelp as the teen continued his dodging.  _ ‘Okay, Watery and Arrow are my only options… Think. Think.’ _ Green eyes darted around, looking for anything that might have wat-  _ ‘I’m so stupid.’ _

“Watery, command the rain and use it as daggers against Thunder!” The familiar golden light was replaced by the blue-silver form of Watery, her long hair and tail dissolving into the rain itself.

As he commanded, all the raindrops that surrounded Thunder suddenly stopped in their descent. The Cardcaptor watched as the rain began to condense, forming into numerous small blades of water, each one aimed at Thunder. Faster than Izuku could blink the blades shot forwards, hitting their mark as even more were formed and joined the fray.

Thunder let out a roar that sounded like a mix of the crackling of electricity and the booming of thunder as it fell back to the ground. Job done, Watery reformed into a card, grabbed by Izuku before he dived down, meeting the writhing form of Thunder on the street.

“Now that’s cool,” Izuku muttered, in awe at the most-literal Raijū standing before him.

Thunder’s body was a bright yellow, it’s fur--or whatever approximation--was crackling and sparking with electricity. The tail was surprisingly long, and as it swayed the end continued to detach and reform. It stood roughly the size of a minivan, Izuku’s head only coming to its shoulder. 

“Izuku, I know it’s awesome,” Kero said quickly, “but don’t you think you should be sealing it?” At the reminder of the current situation, the Cardcaptor steadied his hand, pointing the staff at The Thunder.

_ “Return to the guise you were meant to be: Thunder!” _ At the command, the magic circle appeared beneath Izuku, the shimmering rectangle and ribbons forming, wrapping Thunder. The wind picked up at Thunder’s struggle, but eventually, the magic won out, sealing the beast within the card. “Man, that was tough.”

“Yeah, but we’re still not done,” Kero says anxiously. “We still have to deal with Storm. Thankfully, Storm is more of a passive fighter, not like Thunder, who is a direct fighter.”

“So we don’t have to deal with Storm coming directly at us?” Izuku asks, hopeful for a simple fight.

“Right.” Izuku cheers at that until- “But Storm would rather form tornados and hope we get caught in the mix.” The greenette visibly wilts, the high from catching Thunder rapidly disappearing.

“You have to stop getting my hopes up and just say everything at once.” The lion plush laughed slightly, flying up higher. “You said we should attack the center of Storm, right? That way it won’t continue?”

“Yeah, and I think I see it; get up here and you will too.” With a sigh, a flash, and a beating of wings Izuku was beside Kero, looking over the Musutafu area. In the distance, a small swirling of clouds could be seen, a funnel cloud forming.

“Crap, it really  _ will _ form tornados just to get us…” The two magic users flew fast towards the center of the storm. Reaching into his holder, Izuku pulled out two cards but stopped when Kero spoke.

“Don’t bother trying to take out its clouds with Windy or Watery, you’ll just be wasting your magic, which you’re likely running low on after using Watery on such a large scale.” The greenette laughed awkwardly at the reminder of him passing out a week ago. Kero sighed. “Your main focus should be to attack the center, so try going with Arrow or Thunder.”

Nodding, Izuku pulled out The Thunder, throwing it out and activating it with the end of his staff. “Thunder, strike the eye of the storm!” A streak of lightning shot from the card, rapidly closing in on the clear middle of the forming tornado. The greenette knows it’s magic, and he knows that the cards will follow his commands, but he really doesn’t see Thunder hitting anything in that clear space.

Of course, just when he thinks that Thunder collides with something. A large discharge of electricity flashes before the form of a curly-haired, blue-grey elf-like girl appeared. The newly revealed Storm’s lower half is fused with clouds, streaking to be connected like fog.

“Got it! Now to seal...somehow.” Storm waved an arm, causing a large gust of wind to blow the two back, nearly sending Izuku to the ground in surprise. “Kero, can Windy bind Storm, or is it immune like Thunder was?”

“No, it’s not!” Kero’s yell came from behind and below, where he’d been blown farther due to his smaller size. “Just hurry up; I don’t want to see a tornado in Musutafu!”

“Right!” Dodging to the right--because Storm has very obvious movements for their attacks--Izuku pulls out Windy. “Bind The Storm!” The flash of light breaks to show Windy in all her ethereal glory, flying in circles around Storm. Windy’s hair wound around Storm, trapping the struggling elven girl.

_ “Return to the guise you were meant to be: Storm!” _

\-----

“Hey, mom?” Izuku’s voice was shaking, both from nerves and from tiredness. He didn’t wait for his mother’s reply before adding on, “I need you to come pick me up from the police station...again.”

Instantly Inko was putting on her shoes and grabbing a jacket. “What happened this time? Was it another quirk accident?”

“Uh... _ sorta?” _

“Midoriya Izuku, what happened.” Her tone was no-nonsense and she could  _ hear _ the flinch her son made from the other line.

“Well, turns out the storm was a card, and while I was sealing it a hero found me and brought me in for public quirk usage.” Inko gasped, locking the apartment behind her. “It’s not actually a problem; I’ve been cleared after I explained how my quirk works, but the main issue is I’m about to pass out and I need to be signed out.”

The Midoriya mother let out a relieved sigh, then huffed at her son’s knack for passing out after using his quirk. “I’ll be there in a few, five minutes tops.” She started the car, already pulling out of the apartment complex’s parking lot. There was no reply for a moment until Kero spoke up from the other line. 

“Inko? Yeah, Izuku’s out.”

\-----

“Honestly, you’re such a silly boy.” The fondness in her tone and the way she tucked in her son, Inko clearly loved Izuku. She might have had a hard time getting him inside, what with him almost falling asleep on her multiple times, but as she watched her son sleep Inko was reminded just how much she loved him.

“Last time Izuku passed out he ended up getting four cards,” the green-haired woman started; “How many did he get today?” She exited the room, closing the door as she followed her son’s companion.

“Oh, uh… two,” was Kero’s eloquent reply. At Inko’s raised brow he explained. “Well, he didn’t  _ get _ four cards this time, but he used Fly a lot, and a very strong card, and another without making it ‘his’, so to speak.”

“That...makes sense. I’m just surprised he wasn’t more upset at his quirk for making such a heavy storm.” It was an offhand comment, clearly not  _ really _ meant to be said out loud.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, remember the accident when he was five?”

Kero nodded, “Yeah, he was in the forest when a heavy storm came out of nowhere.” Apparently, that wasn’t the right thing to say because Inko sighed, shaking her head. “What? Did I forget something?”

“Oh, no,” Inko reassured the plush lion. “It’s just-” she paused for a second. “Well, Izuku has been using that excuse for years now, so I was kind of upset that he wouldn’t even tell you, his companion, what happened.”

“In order to understand you have to know of Hisashi, his father.” She got up, pulled a picture from the wall and set it before Kero. The picture was of a family, clearly the Midoriyas by the thinner Inko and small Izuku. Holding the youngest Midoriya was a man with curly black hair and freckles; his eyes were closed as he presumably laughed with his son, who was sitting on his shoulders.

Inko smiled sadly at the photo, silently thanking Mitsuki for taking it. “Hisashi worked as a consultant for various companies, constantly having to leave for a few weeks at a time in order to help with projects. Yearly, the companies would all have a conference in America, one that Hisashi would have to attend for the first two weeks of July.”

“Wouldn’t that mean he constantly missed Izuku’s birthday?”

“You’d think so, but every year he would get off with  _ just _ enough time to fly back the night before, arriving in the early morning of Izuku’s birthday.” Inko wiped a hand over her face, showing just how much the memory affected her.

“On the night before Izuku’s fifth birthday, a freak storm formed right off the coast. Hisashi’s flight had been in the area at the time, and while it normally wouldn’t be a problem, the storm was heavy in lightning and the plane was struck at least six times.” Kero gasped loudly.

“Izuku and I were staying awake, waiting for Hisashi to come home while watching hero news.” Inko sniffled, grabbing a tissue to stop the beginnings of tears. “It was eleven-forty-six when the news came through, and when they- when they finally released the names of the deceased, it was already the fifteenth, ten minutes past midnight on Izuku’s fifth birthday.”

Inko blew her nose, the noise seemingly too loud in the wake of the memory. “Since- since it was on such an important date and by a strong, sudden storm, Izuku hasn’t handled them very well. He used to get nightmares and on his birthday we had to celebrate at Hisashi’s grave, otherwise, he’d get sad because ‘dad wasn’t there’.”

“...That’s awful..” And, really, that’s a terrible way to describe what happened, but there aren’t any words for it either. “That also sort of explains his reluctance to use Fly in the beginning…”

“Sorry, sorry; I didn’t mean to cry so much- it’s just… The two were so close, and then when Hisashi died, Izuku was devastated for the next month, clearly depressed at the loss of his father.” She started tearing up again. “Then he got his quirkless diagnoses in August, so it probably felt, to him, that everything bad happened in his life because of that storm.”

\-----

Kero lay in his bed, the star-patterned blanket pulled over him as he stared at the dark ceiling. Every once in a while his eyes would find themselves on Izuku, wondering just why he’d keep the truth a secret. The lion plush stiffened when the green-haired boy shifted in his bed.

It was silent for a moment before Izuku scared Kero by speaking. “I know she told you…” the boy sighed as Kero flinched slightly. With the rustling of fabric, Izuku sat up, leaning his head back against the wall. “It’s fine, I don’t really mind; it wasn’t fair to lie anyway.”

They were quiet, then; “So why did you?” It’s not accusatory or anything. Kero was just asking the prevalent question.

“I guess I just… When it happened, I took a month off school, and Katsuki was the only person I would let come by and cheer me up other than mom. Within that month I got my diagnosis, and when I went back a rumor started that my dad- that he didn’t really  _ die _ , he just left his quirkless son for America.”

Izuku let out a small whine, covering his eyes tightly as if to prevent his tears from falling. He sniffled twice before starting again, and in that time Kero had landed on his knee. “It wouldn’t have been a problem because I had Katsuki, my best friend. But then something changed that fall and all of a sudden Katsuki was perpetuating the rumor right along with them.

“To make it worse, our elementary teachers didn’t even try and stop Katsuki or the others, and then it escalated from the rumor to other things, and then eventually to full-on bullying in middle school.”

The greenette took a stuttered breath as Kero flew up and hugged his shoulder. “I would never have held your father’s passing against you.” A quiet  _ I know _ came from the boy and Kero hugged tighter. “What they did was wrong, and you were just trying to keep yourself safe; trying to not lose another friend.”

Izuku keened at the reassurance, crying out in grief for both his father long passed and his lost friendships. “It’s okay,” Kero muttered softly. “It’s okay.” Time passed as the boy cried, slowly running out of tears until he passed out, holding Kero close throughout the night.

\-----

Inko wiped her tears as she closed her bedroom door. Izuku’s cries had woken her up, but when she heard the two talking all she could do was listen and cry. Just like before she was unable to really do anything to help.

\-----

“Man, archery is so hard,” complained Izuku. The green-haired boy was walking alongside Kero after his club let out. Thanks to last night’s impromptu crying session the greenette was back on his feet and as energetic as ever. 

Kero shrugged at the boy’s comment. “Sure, but you have Arrow to do all the heavy lifting. Not everyone else can do that.”

“Right, right,” the young magician nodded, “but remember that I’m not using Arrow every time because I want to build my skills.” He rolled his shoulder, trying to ease a small ache that formed from practice.

“Because you have it in your head that the magic will only build upon your pre-existing skills.” The plush lion shook his head at that thought, already used to the theories and mutterings of Izuku whenever he wanted to test something with the cards. A memory of using Wood to--unsuccessfully--grow a garden. The plots filled with bonsai trees would need watering tomorrow.

“You’re just jealous that I’m right, doing something that you never thought of to do.” The lion flinched at that, something that wasn’t missed by the green-eyed boy. “Anyway, it seems to be true, seeing as my aim, accuracy, and power all seem to be getting better if only observed for one day.”

“Unless the magic is influencing your actions  _ afterwards _ , improving your skill through some sort of feedback.” The two passed through the supermarket’s entryway, ignoring the stares from other shoppers. “Or  _ maybe _ \--and hear me out, because this is just crazy--but maybe, you’re getting better simply  _ because _ you’re better.”

Izuku scoffed, smiling at the banter. The two have been going on this topic ever since after practice, and each time something like this happens. Truthfully the green-haired boy was just getting better because of the practice; one day’s worth of lessons already helped, but the prospect that Arrow will become more powerful the better he actually is with a bow is too much to not test.

The pair continued their “argument” as they shopped, pulling various ingredients from the shelves--mainly the ones that go into katsudon--until paying and leaving. Of course, they made sure not to disturb the others around them, but it was fun.

Now, the pair were perusing the aisles of a hundred-yen shop; Izuku was looking for more notebooks and pencils, and despite the cheap price, these ones were his favorite. Finding a pink notebook that looked to have a compass design on its cover, Izuku compared it with the All Might notebook in his hand.

“Hey, Kero,” he said. Kero, who was previously looking at pencil toppers, finds Izuku and the notebooks. “Which one do you think I should get?” He raised the pink one; “I know it’s plain, but it reminds me of the cards-” he raised the All Might one now “-but ultimately I’m leaning more towards this one.”

“Having that guy’s face over everything you own is a little weird, Izuku.” Both magic users sweatdropped at the reminder of their shared bedroom. Kero opened his mouth to say more, before closing it again, a strange look on his face.

Kero was silent for too long, so Izuku spoke up. “I mean, I know I like All Might, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get the one you like more, Kero.” The lion plush continued to stare at the two books, not even replying to the teen. “Kero.  _ Kero. _ Ke-ro. Keroberos.”

“Huh?” He blinked his eyes, coming out of whatever daze he’d fallen into.

The greenette sighed, putting back the All Might notebook. “You don’t have to give me the silent treatment just to get a point across, you know.”

“What? No- that notebook you’re holding, you said it reminded you of the cards?” Izuku raised a brow in question, giving the book another look, humming in thought.

“Yeah? The color scheme is roughly the same, plus it has stars in the corners.” He smiled wide. “I thought I might be able to transfer everything I have in my  _ other _ Sakura Card notebook into this one, that way it fits the theme. Any thoughts?”

“Dude, Izuku: that  _ is _ a Sakura Card.”

Izuku blinked once. Twice. Three times before his brain caught up with what his companion said. “ _ Eh? _ Really? What card is it, The Notes, or The Book?” Kero shook his head at the comments.

“No, it’s The Create, and anything written inside will be brought to life as long as you are awake.” He points a paw in an accusatory manner to the green-haired boy, “So that means don’t write just anything in there.” A little quieter, he added, “Actually, I wonder if that story is still written inside…”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘story’, but I guess that means I get to seal it now, right? Since I’m holding it?” Kero nods, and Izuku proceeds; the only indication that the greenette now held a card rather than a book is a flash of golden light and a sigh of relief.

As the two were leaving the store, a red bow and small star earring clasp caught Kero’s eye. It was clear to the greenette that the lion plush was trying their best to not give in to the urge to buy it. Laughing lightly at his companion, Izuku puts him out of his misery, adding it to their basket, purchasing it.

The two left the hundred-yen store, Izuku pocketing a new card, and Kero wearing his newly acquired accessories. A smile was worn by both of them.

\-----

“Hey… Do you think any of the cards are still in their card form?” Izuku suddenly asked. He watched as Kero fiddled with his bow and earring clasp.

“How do you mean?” Kero said, distracted. The ribbon was just not sitting correctly.

“Well, you know how Create was just sitting with the notebooks?” Kero nodded. “What if a few are still cards, and they’re sitting in a card shop or something?”

“Maybe,” Kero said, currently fighting with the ribbon. “Just don’t expect to find any so easily, but it’s a possibility, yeah.” At hearing Kero’s confirmation Izuku sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness, because I thought I was going crazy.” The greenette stopped walking, turning to the store at their right. “Illusion is just sitting there.”

Kero turned to see where Izuku was looking. Yep. Sitting on a card stand was The Illusion card, all pretty and protected by the glass casing.

“You have the strangest luck, you know that, Izuku?”

The boy laughed, pushing open the storefront’s door. “Yeah, no need to tell me twice.”

\-----

“Mom, you will never guess what we found today.”

“Well ‘hello’ to you, too, Izuku.” The plump woman smiled as her son excitedly put the groceries on the table, Kero helping unload. “But what did you find?” At her question, the boy pulled two cards from his holster--a well-thought-out purchase--brandishing them for her to see. “More cards for your quirk?”

Izuku nodded eagerly, smiling widely. “Yeah! Kero and I were looking at notebooks when I found this one just sitting there!” Inko laughed at the story, carefully stocking the fridge and cabinets with the shopping. “And you’ll never guess where we found Illusion!”

The mother hummed, placing the milk carton on the shelf. “Where, honey?”

“In a display case for the local board game store!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potentially skipped section right after Izuku's phone call summary:  
> Kero and Inko talk about Izuku's dislike of storms. Inko reveals that Izuku's story of being in the woods during a storm is false; the real reason is that Midoriya Hisashi's plane was struck down by lightning during a freak storm on Izuku's fifth birthday. Izuku would then have nightmares during storms and celebrated his birthdays at Hisashi's grave. The next month--August--Izuku is found to be quirkless, and so the thought is that child Izuku associated storms with bad news/devastation.
> 
> Nice. (RIP Izuku, buying two notebooks and both turning out to be magical objects...)  
> Now, don't everybody try and kill me at once...
> 
> The thing with Hisashi has been planned since this work's inception, so there is absolutely no way Izuku is All For One's son in any way, shape or form. Dad for one is not taking place--even though that's a good trope if written well.  
> The crying session that Izuku and, secretly, Inko have at night /wasn't/ planned. I was editing yesterday and then all of a sudden- BOOM. Tears from our sunshine boi. Sorry. (Also, more backstory for Katsuki and Izuku's friendship--or more reason to hate Katsuki, if you do that.)
> 
> Um, I will say: Even with Izuku joining the archery club, I myself am not Japanese, nor have I ever joined a Japanese middle school's after-school club. I will get things wrong in both the sport aspect and in the schooling aspect. I apologize in advance. (I dabbled in archery for six months, so I know my way around a range, bow and target, but I know practically nothing about competitions, so I'm sorry--we will likely not be seeing Izuku do any /big/ archery things.
> 
> (I know this is chapter five, but I need help with chapter nine! SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER NINE!! skip to the next paragraph to avoid! So, uh... how does one write time travel properly??? Like, I'm having s u c h a hard time writing the Time battle, so... any pointers in your comments would be helpful... Filler parts/ideas you'd like to see/things that can be revisited multiple times due to Time's nature would be useful as well...)
> 
> Some funky things that I learned and subsequently used while writing this chapter:
> 
> Dived/Dove are BOTH correct past tenses of the regular verb "dive". "Dove" is a thing that Americans started using after drive/drove/driven, making it match to follow the pattern of stink/stank/stunk and drink/drank/drunk. (Personally, I like dive/dove/dived, which is cool, but British English says dive/dived/dived, so pick your poison I guess, but for the sake of comments on my improper grammar, I'll use "dived")
> 
> Raijū- A Japanese mythological beast that is best described as a "thunder dog" (Raikou, the Pokemon, is based off this myth (ngl, Raikou looks like a squirrel with it's white, cloud-like cheeks/beard). It is the companion of the Shinto god of thunder Raijin [雷神] (lit. "Thunder God"), also known as "Kaminari-sama" [雷様] (I see what you did there, Horikoshi. You ain't slick), "Raiden-sama" [雷電様], "Narukami" [鳴る神], and "Raikou" [雷公]. It is usually depicted as a blue or white wolf. It has a usually calm demeanor, but whenever there are thunderstorms it is said to rage, causing lightning to strike.
> 
> 雷 - Kanji for Thunder; pronounced "Kaminari", and is the Kanji that is depicted at the top of The Thunder's card.  
> Also a "play on words" from Clamp, the authors of CCS; "雷" does not distinguish between thunder and lightning, which is probably why The Thunder's name is what it is, while the card itself controls lightning. (Which is why I had them hear thunder before even seeing Thunder.)
> 
> "Gray" and "Grey" are both proper spellings of the same word/color. "Gray" is more common is the U.S., while "grey" is more common in English-speaking countries. This is why common and proper nouns usually use "grey", like Earl Grey tea. English is just funky like that, I guess. I'll use "grey" for those reasons.
> 
> As always, your comments are SO fun to read! (Ignore the fact that I, myself, add at least four or five comments to each chapter.) Reading your reactions to my work makes me feel so nice, so keep em comin'!
> 
> I will see you all next time!...which is more than likely to be within a week...


	6. How About A Break, Izuku-kun?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku and Kero try to take a break from all of their stressful Cardcaptor duties. It goes semi-okay, all things considered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! How are you guys? I, myself, personally, am having a T I M E right now with sleep schedules and whatnot.  
> Anyway... I made this chapter to just show what Izuku does after getting new cards, how Izuku feels about the whole situation and various other things.
> 
> I wrote this in less than a day, so if you see any errors or my writing just feels... /off/, that's why. Apologize in advance.
> 
> Whatever. Here are 13 pages--4,972 words--of the newest Cardcaptor Izuku chapter!

Keroberos paused his game, turning around to face the newest Cardcaptor. The young magic-user was fiddling with the lock on the Sakura Book, staring at the wall even as he opened and closed the book, filling the room with faint, repetitive  _ clicking _ sounds. The repetitive motion continued until Kero flew to the boy, placing a paw onto his hand.

Izuku jolted slightly, looking down at his companion in surprise. “Kero?” Green eyes found their way to the paused game and the boy sighed. “Do you need help again?” It wasn’t a  _ distraction _ per se, but Izuku’s mind wasn’t fully in it, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Kero.

The plush shook his head, “Nah, but I was wondering what’s got you thinking so hard?” Izuku ducked his head slightly. For the past three days, the greenette has been distant, always going into bouts of silence, staring at nothing. Something was bothering the boy, but neither Inko nor Kero knew what.

Izuku’s cheeks heated, and he knew that his freckles were standing out against the flush--which only made him blush harder. “Ah- well… I was just thinking about the Cards I already have?” A hand made its way to his head in embarrassment. “You say they’re sentient, so I was worried that...  _ gah, this is dumb. _ ”

Kero frowned. “What’s dumb?”

“I worry that the Cards don’t...like me,” the boy said quietly. “I- I mean, they might not like just- sitting around, not being used like Arrow was. Like, maybe I’m not treating them right?” Izuku let out a sigh, falling backwards onto his bed. “I don’t know…”

Kero watched his companion, feeling empathy for the boy. They sat there for a moment before the golden guardian perked up, walking to the discarded Sakura Book on the bed beside them.

“I don’t know why you’re so concerned whether or not they like you,” Kero began, fishing for information that will be purely beneficial. At his comment Izuku flailed an arm to the side, grunting.

“I’m the Cardcaptor,” he began, “so I have to collect all the cards, but I also want to be a hero and help people. Without a quirk, my best chances are the Cards, but if they don’t even  _ like _ me, how could I ever ask for their help?” He takes a deep breath. “How can I be a hero if all I use are Cards that hate me?” The two magic users sit in silence for a moment, one lamenting their circumstances and the other smiling happily. 

“Well,” Kero announced, flying above Izuku’s face, “I don’t think you have to worry about that any time soon.”

One by one, each of the fourteen captured Sakura Cards entered his field of vision, glowing with a soft golden light. Sitting up, Izuku smiled as the Cards bobbed in the air in a way that was conveying happiness. The fourteen cards rotated around his head, almost like they were each trying to tell him personally how much they enjoyed being with him.

Without much warning, a bubbling laugh finds its way out of Izuku. The green-haired boy laughs as Fly, Dash and Thunder all seem to be vying for his attention, floating above one another to be present. “So I guess I was afraid for nothing, huh?” Izuku smiled at Kero; “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” And Kero meant it; anytime Izuku needed him, he’d be there.

\-----

“So what are we doing today?” The lion plush hovered near Izuku’s shoulder, looking at the circle the boy had drawn in the dirt before them.

The pair were in Musutafu, taking advantage of the various quirk-parks that the city provided. Granted, they were under constant surveillance--given the nature of quirks, villains and the public--so Izuku hoped that they weren’t attacked by another card today.

Pulling out the Sakura Book from his school bag, Izuku opened it. “I was wondering the limits to my magic with the cards.” Grabbing the desired card, Izuku set the book down on top of the bag beside him. Summoning the staff, the green-haired boy held the two together.

_ “Come on out, Fly!” _ The card began glowing before transforming into the ribbons that Izuku has gotten used to over the month. He watched at the magic seemed to condense into a vaguely crane-like shape before aborting and rushing behind the Cardcaptor. He groaned at the test’s failure.

“I’m confused,” Kero said. “Isn’t that what you wanted to happen? You summoned Fly.” The lion plush continued to stare at the boy with confusion as he dismissed the wings--which still throw him off at how they’re  _ green. _

“I’m  _ hoping _ to summon Fly’s form, not the wings.” Once again he held the two magical items together,  _ willing _ it to work.  _ “Fly, come on out!” _ The ribbons formed, Fly’s body shaping together with greater definition; Izuku crossed his fingers that it worked until the bird dissolved and he felt the tell-tale feeling of feathers brushing against his shirt.

“Yeah, I don’t know how successful you’ll be with this.” Kero shrugged, not looking at Izuku. “The Cards were made with specific effects in mind, but you’re actively trying to switch that effect. The only time  _ that _ happened was when Sakura changed the Clow Cards into her own Sakura Cards, making it so Sakura could use Fly and still have the staff.”

Kero ended his spiel with a shake to his head, already knowing Izuku would be disappointed at the news. Opening his eyes, rather than find a downtrodden Izuku with a pair of wings, he finds the greenette laughing as he holds onto The Fly in its bird form. “What-  _ how?!” _

The Fly let out a chirping sound, happily flapping its wings in the greenette’s arms. “W-well,” Izuku sweatdropped. “I tried another two times as you were talking before thinking ‘I want to play with Fly’, you know- like I did the first night?” Kero nodded slowly. “Well, then I just... _ asked _ Fly to play--because I remembered you saying: ‘You could use the card’s name, or even just give out instructions’, so that meant that using a specific instruction like this one would work.”

The two magic users stared at each other for a second before Fly beat its wings again, clearly wanting attention. The golden guardian could only sigh and smile as he watched his newest Cardcaptor chase around The Fly, throwing the magic bird into the air upon capture.

\-----

“Okay!” Izuku pumped his fist. The Fly mimicked him, raising its wing excitedly from atop his head. Kero snickered. “Now for the next test!” The greenette now stands with his hands on his hips, Fly copying him again.

Reaching up, Fly jumps into Izuku’s hands, allowing it to be carried to the ground. “Fly, I want you to try and become my wings from here, okay?” The blue crane-like bird chirruped, beating its wings rapidly. Green eyes widened as Fly began to dissolve into ribbons of magic, wrapping around the green-haired boy like a hug before dissipating, leaving Izuku with a pair of green wings.

“Nice work, Izuku!” Kero grinned at the blushing Cardcaptor, flying around his head like a compliment-giving angel; “You’re so smart to be able to do this! Your control over your magic is quite amazing! Look at how far you’ve grown in only a month!” he continued to compliment the skill of the Cardcaptor, happy to see Izuku happy, and helping with his confidence; there is no doubt that Izuku’s confidence issues were the problem with his doubt of Card ownership.

“K-Kero, stop,” the greenette protested, and the lion plush acquiesced. Breathing a sigh of relief, Izuku dispelled Fly, trading its card for another.

Kero grinned more when he saw Izuku pulling out The Jump. “Are you trying to manifest the animal form as you did with Fly, or are you just wanting to try it out?” His grin grew wider at the greenette bashfully holding up two fingers. “Sweet! Let’s get to it!” Nodding, the Cardcaptor brandished his staff.

_ “Jump!” _ The card dissolved into ribbons, reforming around his ankles, forming four miniature green wings. “Now to test out the height…” Being careful not to move, he grabbed a notebook, pen and measuring tape from his bag. Setting the first two items on the ground, Izuku handed the measuring tape to his companion.

“What’s this for?” Kero asked, holding the tool. Izuku gave him an incredulous stare, to which he responded; “I know what it’s  _ for _ , I meant: what am I  _ doing _ with it; this is a measuring tape that goes…  _ two kilometers?!” _

“It’s specially made to observe quirks, and seeing as I don’t know how high I can go, I went with this.” He directed Kero to sit next to the notebook and pen--Kero sized, now that the lion plush looked. “We need to decide a baseline, so record the number while I hold it at my shoulder. Then we go from there.”

“Right, right,” Kero nodded, “but you do know that the magic in the card will react differently based on your intent, right?” The greenette tilted his head in question. “It won’t  _ always _ take you higher than Tokyo Tower; you’ll jump as high as you want or need, never more and never less.”

Izuku blinked. “Oh. Really?” He looked at his little setup. “That makes this so much easier, then! Now we can test the limits!” He sweatdropped, “I was going in blind, but with this information, I have something to look for!” Kero shook his head at the Cardcaptor’s antics.

\-----

“Your highest was...nine-hundred and sixty-nine meters and twelve centimeters.  _ That’s crazy,” _ Kero reports. His audience, Izuku, was currently collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and beginning to feel the effects of overdrawing his magic.

“Yeah, but I feel I could go higher.” Kero sputtered at the admission, taken aback at the thought of Izuku going a  _ full kilometer _ into the air.

“What could possibly make you want to go  _ higher?! _ You nearly crashed into a building because of the wind!” The golden guardian had a point; on his descent from his highest--and last--jump, the wind picked up, nearly sending him directly into the side of an apartment complex. Probably for the best they stopped for now.

Despite all the evidence pointing to never going higher, Izuku shrugged. “I dunno, just because I can?” Kero groaned. “Obviously not  _ now _ , but probably at UA. Besides, we don’t know if ‘height’ translates into ‘distance’; I might be able to jump three-times the height of the Abeno Harukas building, but only ten meters across the ground.”

Kero opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. The kid had a point, unfortunately, so they will have to test Jump more at a later date; likely UA, like he said. “Fine, but we only test it at UA, got it?” The greenette nodded, carefully picking himself off the ground. 

“Now, let’s get you home; I don’t think the park observers like people passing out too much.”

  
  


\-----

“Izuku, honey?” Inko popped her head into her son’s room. The two occupants turned to her, Izuku looking up from his book and Kero pausing his game. “I have to go out for a bit--won’t take longer than thirty minutes--before dinner. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind finishing the dishes while I’m gone?” She gave a small, guilty smile. “There’s not a lot in the sink, but I’ll need the few pots that are to prepare for dinner.”

Putting down his book, Izuku nodded. “Yeah,” he paused. “Plus, I think it was my turn today anyway.” He rubbed the back of his head at the admission.

Inko waved him off, “I didn’t mind, and I know how hard you’ve been working with your quirk.” A more… not  _ smug _ per se, but  _ conspiratorial _ grin formed, paired with a wink. “This just means you get to clean all of tomorrow, too!”

“Right,” Izuku sighed. He accompanied his mother to the door, waving her off. When the door finally closed he wilted slightly, weighed down by the fact he has to clean tomorrow as well--and that he’d left his mother to clean on her off day.

“Well,” the boy says suddenly. He turns to Kero, smiling at the companion. The lion plush shudders at the reminder of his last time doing chores. “Let’s get those dishes done, and then tomorrow we do the house.”

Kero groaned.

\-----

“Are you not feeling well, Izuku?”

Inko was dressed in her hospital scrubs, almost ready to leave the apartment for the day when her son--who was usually so punctual at getting dressed early--walked into the kitchen with his atrocious ‘T-shirt’ t-shirt. “You aren’t sick, are you?” Worried, she puts a hand to Izuku’s forehead, checking his temperature.

Izuku smiled at the concern but moved the hands away. “No, there’s just been a villain attack near the school; the damage was minimal, but since the villain had a seismic quirk, the school board closed for today to ensure no damage was done to the foundations.” He grabbed his plate of omurice from the counter, turning back to his mom. “You’ll get the call soon.”

Indeed she did, not even a minute later. The message relayed the exact information that her son had just told her, but with a little more professionalism. “And how did you know about this? The call said the attack happened after midnight.” Inko gave her son a stare so she got to watch him jolt in fear.

“I… may or may not have gone to bed late…?”

Inko sighed, shaking her head. “You’ve really got to stop doing that.” She pointed a finger to her son, as she’s done  _ many _ times before. “Going to school after not having a full night’s sleep will only hinder you in your efforts to enter UA.” Izuku ducks his head at the reminder to which Inko smiles. “So long as you keep your grades up and sleep well, I know you can do it.” The younger greenette nods and his mother leaves for her shift at Musutafu General.

Shovelling down the last bites of his breakfast, Izuku washes his plate in the sink, setting it to dry on the counter. From the hallway flies Kero, just now having woken up. “Mornin’,” the lion plush yawns, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

Izuku smiles at the adorable form that was Kero just waking up. “Here,” he says, pulling Kero’s portion of omurice from the microwave. “Breakfast, and then we clean.” Somehow Kero managed to groan at the reminder, even as he stuffed his face.

“You don’t  _ have _ to help if you don’t want to, Kero, but it  _ will _ mean I can play with you for longer the sooner I’m done.” He receives a glare from over a spoon, and the boy can’t help but laugh at his companion.

Over the next three hours, the two would clean the house. As Izuku cleaned the floors Kero dusted the tops of shelves, nearly sending himself into a sneezing fit, something that Izuku found hilarious. The two continued to spend their day like this until lunchtime, which is how the two magic-users found themselves in the kitchen.

“I’m stuffed,” the lion plush said, splayed out on the counter just to prove his point.

Izuku eyed Kero from the side as he put away the dishes. “Oh, that’s too bad, because mom made a cake last night.” He fake-sighed, “I guess I’ll just have to eat it all myself.”  _ That _ got Kero up. The greenette laughed at his companion’s whining.

“You don’t just play with someone’s feelings like that, Izuku!”

“Sorry, sorry; it was just too funny!” His laughter continued even as he pulled the pre-made dessert from the fridge, careful not to drop it. Setting it on the counter he turned to Kero. “Hand me that knife?”

“Sure,” Kero said distractedly, no doubt already salivating over the sight of the strawberry shortcake. Palming the counter for the knife, Kero finally turned away when he didn’t find anything. “Uh, Izuku?” The greenette hummed. “Where’s the knife?”

Green eyes made their way to Kero and the counter. “That’s weird,” he said. “I know I just set it down…” Izuku checked in the fruit baskets, in the sink, and even on the stove, but the knife wasn’t anywhere. “I’ll just grab another. Mind grabbing some plates?” The green-haired boy had just grabbed the handle of another knife when a crash sounded behind him, accompanied by a shout from Kero.

Turning to the noise, Izuku found Kero staring at the empty counter, the dropped plates below him. “What’s wrong? Sprain a paw?” He did a quick once over, and in that time Kero responded.

“The cake’s gone! Izuku, this is terrible! How could the universe do this to me?!” Izuku sweatdropped at the emotional reaction that Kero had at the disappearance of their dessert. “This has to be the work of a Sakura Card! Nothing else would ever dare to be so cruel!”

“That’s a bit hasty, don’t you think?” The teen flinched as Kero flew right into his face, angry.

“This is just the amount of haste this situation needs!” The golden plush turned the corner from the kitchen to the hallway, calling out “Try and sense for the card! Your magic should be strong enough” as he did so. Izuku could only sigh when his companion came back with the Sakura Book in his paws, laying it on the counter.

Doing as Kero asked, Izuku closes his eyes, reaching out with his magic--something that is still hard, even with the month of practice. Probably due to the “blanket”, as Kero called it. Reaching around the apartment, the greenette felt something... _ odd _ in the living room. “Check the living room?” He’s uncertain, but Kero didn’t care as he just charged in yelling about his dessert.

Following the lion plush, the two magic users found…  _ nothing _ . “I thought you said it’d be here?!” Izuku frowned. Summoning the sealing staff, he gave the lion plush a small glare.

“I said to  _ check _ , not that we’d find anything.” Green eyes scanned the room to find nothing out of place. Trying to sense it again. “That’s odd,” he says, gaining the calmer attention of Kero.

“What is it? You find the cake- I mean, card?”

“Yeah,” he starts, “only, it’s still here, just… above us.” Green met black before turning to the ceiling. Izuku lets out a yelp in surprise at the sight of a floating strawberry shortcake merely half a meter above their heads. “Wha- Kero, what card is this? And why the cake?”

“It’s gotta be The Float!” The lion plush flew to the magically flying dessert, reaching out to take it back, when a winged, purple and pink striped...balloon? beach ball? appeared, surrounding the cake itself. “Capture the card, then we can have cake!” Izuku rolled his eyes at his companion’s one-track mind but complied with the order.

_ “Return to the guise you were meant to be: Float Card!” _ With the flash of golden light, The Float was transformed into its sakura Card, landing neatly in his outstretched hand. The face depicted the balloon of Float attached to a winged basket like a hot air balloon in the sky. “I didn’t even have to fight! Isn’t that great, Kero?” He looked for his winged companion. “Kero?”

A grunt from above caught his attention. “A little help here?” The teen found Kero doing his absolute best to keep the cake from falling, holding it up like Atlas. Except, unlike Atlas, Kero was sinking closer to the ground. A moment longer was spent just observing the strange sight when Kero called out again. “Izuku! Help? Please?!”

“Oh, right. Sorry”

\-----

The door opened and closed, leaving Inko Midoriya standing on the threshold of the apartment, staring at the nearly sparkling surfaces. “Oh, wow,” she breathed. “Izuku, Kero, you didn’t have to do so much!” She set her work bag on the table, marvelling at how--literally--the floor, table, counters and even the windows sparkled in the setting sun’s light.

“Oh, hey, mom.” Izuku was sitting on the couch, reading another book on quirk theory--it’s either that or All Might biographies. The boy jumped in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. 

“Thank you.”

“Of course,” he said. Putting down the book, the younger Midoriya got up and hugged his mother properly. “You needed the break.” Inko gasped, nearly to tears at the sincerity. “And because Kero only saved you one piece of the cake you made,” Izuku said cheekily.

Gasping for a different reason this time, Inko broke the hug, holding her son’s shoulders. “You’re kidding?” The boy shook his head. “Ugh,  _ Kero… _ Where is he?” Izuku grinned, pointing to the coffee table. On it were five small plates stacked, covered in crumbs--but not spilling onto the table itself. Next to the plates was the sweet-toothed menace that was Keroberos, sleeping away as though he didn’t just gain the ire of Inko.

The short woman glared at the sleeping lion plush. “You’re lucky you’re cute…”

Izuku laughed quietly, going into the kitchen and grabbing his mother’s saved slice of cake. “It’s fine. We’re making sweets next week in class--surprisingly--so I’ll give mine to you.” The mother gave a pointed look at Kero. “He gets no sweets until then; an appropriate punishment.”

\-----

“Please, please, please?” Kero begged.

“No,” Izuku said, turning away from the winged beast.

“Aw, come on! Why not?” The green-haired boy gave an incredulous stare to which Kero backed down. “Point taken. But still!” Izuku shook his head, continuing on his way to the archery club; he’s gotten good if he says so himself.

“The answer is ‘no’, Kero,” The greenette waved at the other students still in the school hallways, as though apologising for Kero’s behavior. “You only saved my mom one piece of her _ own _ cake. I think it’s safe to say you need to take a break for a while.”

The lion plush groaned as he floated along behind the Cardcaptor. Eventually, the two made their way to the small archery range that Orudera has, Izuku setting his things down on the bench. Pulling out The Arrow, Izuku summoned his staff.  _ “Bring the bow, Arrow.” _ A flash of light that the archery club members have gotten used to by now later and the greenette was holding his magic bow.

Completely transforming the sealing staff, the bow was both simplistic and elaborate in its design. At the ends where the drawstring was held by the limbs were wings; white in color, they seamlessly formed out of the green material that was the main body. The grip was crisscrossed by a tough red thread and surrounded by wings at the top and bottom. The drawstring itself was a deep red, matching the grip and the ornamental ribbon that was tied on the upper limb, just above where a red gem was embedded, mirroring the lower limb.

Izuku sighed when he found Kero hovering sadly above his quiver--one of the only things he had to buy, alongside his arrows, wrist and finger guards. “Kero, come on; it’s only a week, and then you can get back to eating sweets. The lion plush made no acknowledgement that he heard the boy, and so Izuku turned to where Sato-sensei was beginning her instruction.

“Kero, mind passing me my quiver,” the green-haired teen whispered. They were due to begin in a minute, and having Kero grab it was always easier in the long run--even if it was just a few meters away. A small grunt came from behind and Izuku took that to mean he was, and so he waited for the telltale feeling of something being set beside his legs.

The time came for them to begin and still, Kero wasn’t back yet. “This better not be to get back at me, Kero,” he said turning around. As the other members of the club began to fire off their first arrows, Izuku was looking at Kero, who was seemingly looking for the item. Still.

“Where’d you put it again?”

The green-haired boy huffed, “it’s right there,” he said, pointing at empty space. “Wait, what?” The winged guardian flew to hover next to Izuku.

“That’s what I thought…” Footsteps sounded behind Izuku and the boy tensed.

“Midoriya-kun,” Sato-sensei said. “Is something the matter?” She’s not an angry teacher, and nor was she upset in any manner, but in Izuku’s experiences, having any teacher say that isn’t a good sign. Of course, things are different now, but still… learned behavior is hard to get rid of.

“A-ah, n-no, Sato-sensei!” The boy turned around quickly, tightening his grip on his bow. “I-I was just-”

“His quirk is acting up,” Kero finished.  _ ‘Nice save,’ _ the teen thought. Sato-sensei raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? In what way?”

Green eyes nervously found their way to Kero. “Uh…”

“Yesterday it floated things at home, and today it’s misplacing his things.”  _ ‘Okay, nevermind! That sounds so suspicious!’ _

“What was misplaced?” She took a look around the teen before sighing. “It was your quiver?” A nod from both magic users. “Of course it just had to be the one thing you absolutely need to practice… I’ll look on the other side, see if it’s there, while I suggest you look around here.”  _ ‘Sato-sensei, you’re so nice!’ _ They nodded, and then set off.

With the sounds of arrows sinking into targets and the  _ twang _ of drawstrings being released, Kero and Izuku looked around the area, sometimes getting weird looks from others. Once they’d checked the whole of their side, Sato-sensei came back.

“Here it is,” she said, holding out the black quiver with an embroidered  _ Midoriya Izuku _ down the side. “I just have no idea how it got to the first-years’ area.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter; just make sure to keep a hold of your quirk next time, okay?”

Izuku nodded rapidly, reaching out for the offending item. If only his hand made contact. In a flash a pair of pink-red wings sprouted on the quiver, flapping once and then the whole object disappeared. The trio blinked at the now-empty space between Izuku and Sato-sensei.

Sato-sensei broke the semi-silence first. “So that’s your quirk acting up, huh?”

The greenette sweatdropped at the deadpan comment. “Yeah…”

“Well,” Kero spoke up, “We have to find it again, and this time deactivate your quirk, Izuku.” He said it with a pointed glare, which is fair since it was quite obvious what had happened.

“Sorry, Sato-sensei, I don’t think I’ll be able to practice today.”

The teacher waved him off. “That’s fine; I understand a thing or two about specialty quirks, how they seem to be against the user.” Izuku made sure to bow three times before grabbing his stuff and leaving, dispelling Arrow in the process.

“Where do we start looking first?” The two were walking through the hallways, searching the various classrooms as they tried to find the Card. “Better yet: which card is it?”

Kero hummed for a moment. “If I had to say, it’d be The Move card. It’s annoying in that it’s mischievous and moves around things that you need.” The Cardcaptor groaned. “The good news is, it can’t move bigger objects, or living things either.” Kero shrugged. “Honestly, I’m surprised it could move around your heavy quiver, what with it being filled to the brim with all those arrows.”

“Mom just likes me being prepared, is all... But it’s good that we know what we’re dealing with now. Any idea its distance limits?”

“It can’t go  _ too  _ far… probably twenty meters?” The greenette paused and groaned. “What?”

“That means we’ve missed it! And now we have to go all the way back, and look around the range again.” They started to backtrack, Izuku grumbling the whole time while Kero sweatdropped at the reversal of their first trip to the range.

“Maybe you should just sense the card this time…” Izuku gasped loudly.

“Why didn’t  _ I _ think of that?!” Grumbling some more, the Cardcaptor reached out with his senses, willing his magic to find The Move.  _ ‘This ‘blanket’ thing is really annoying. Makes finding Sakura Cards so much harder than it needs to be. In fact, Kero or I would have sensed the card  _ before _ this-’ _ He cut his train of thought off when he got...a reading? coming from the room on the right. “Here.”

Throwing open the classroom door found the two magic users staring at Izuku’s quiver lying peacefully on the desk, as though it hadn't been sending the two of them on a wild goose chase for the last ten minutes.

Not wasting a single moment of time, Izuku raised his staff, pointing it at the quiver.  _ “Return to the guise you were meant to be: Move Card!” _ Without even a chance to escape for a second time, The Move’s wings appeared, only to be sucked into the card-shaped space at the edge of the magic circle under Izuku. When the magic died down, Izukuu looked at the card he now held in his hand.

It’s face depicted a triangular basket holding a single star tied to two wings. It was very reminiscent of The Float, which makes sense since they do similar things and have similar personalities.

“Well,” Kero said. “That was over quicker than I thought it would be.”

“I just didn’t want to have to chase it for any longer.” Pulling a pencil from his bag, Izuku wrote his name beneath that of the card. “And I don’t want  _ you _ to have the chance of doing this again,” he told the card itself. “Now, let’s get back to the range.”

“Um, Izuku?”

“Yeah?”

Kero pointed to the mounted clock. “It’s past time for it to have ended.” Izuku’s groan could be heard throughout the school, scaring the few students that were in the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! How'd you like it? The writing probably wasn't at its best for this chapter, and so for that, I apologize.
> 
> Okay, so, I know the cards have upper limits in the original manga and anime (I am specifically referencing Jump's height limit during the Sakura Card arc, and how Fly was needed to reach the head of the giant bear rather than Jump), but Magic and Quirks are making things different, allowing for interesting effects and other things for Izuku.  
> I know. I'm making Izuku overpowered. I get it. But I seriously think that half of magic would be conceptualization-visualization, and the other half the ability. I dunno. Izuku has the brains to match the magic, so... Yeah.
> 
> Kero being "grounded" is funny! It's not really a big deal, but Kero is a glutton when it comes to sweets--not malicious of course, but still--so you really shouldn't be surprised something like this happened.
> 
> Listen. If I ever have to write out the word "quiver" ever again, I'm done.
> 
> Well, I guess I'll just have to see you guys next time! As always, I love reading your comments/crack ideas, so send some more!
> 
> Bye!
> 
> So, I can't figure out how to get hyperlinks to work /still/, so I've just decided to have the URL copy-pasted instead.  
> https://cardcaptor-izuku-myven-ao3.tumblr.com/  
> This will lead you to the blog that I've made just to show the cards, little tidbits /about/ the cards, and artwork that I can't get hyperlinked directly to AO3! It's a work in progress, and almost all the posts were added just before this (haha...) but hopefully, it's okay and not overtly presumptuous of me to make.


	7. Cultural Festival Mishaps!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the annual Orudera Junior High Cultural Festival! Let's watch as our Cardcaptor has a t i m e .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you weren't expecting a DOUBLE UPDATE now were you?!
> 
> In all seriousness, I just need to speed up my progress so we can /actually/ get to canon events. This just so happened to be one of those ways. Anyway, expect the entrance exam to be around chapters 12 or 13, so I guess you could say we're halfway there.
> 
> There is a mention of blood and injury in this chapter, so if you want to avoid it, just skip the entire section between the asterisks. I've made it fairly obvious, and like last time I'll have a summary below.
> 
> Without further ado, here are 12 pages--4,473 words--of Cardcaptor Izuku!

“Oh man, I’m so excited!” Kero shouted. Izuku merely rolled his eyes at the flying around. “Hey, you don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve gotten to eat sweets!” The lion plush crossed his arms, pouting at the green-haired boy. “It’s been a really tough time for me, ya know?”

“Kero,” Izuku sweatdropped, “It’s literally just been a week. Seven days; one-hundred and sixty-eight hours, not a lifetime. Besides, you aren’t getting the ones I’m making in class, remember?” The lion plush wilted at the reminder. “Those are an apology to my mom for eating all of the cake a week ago.”

“I said I was sorry…”

“Anyway, I need to visit the library for some notes. Wanna come along?”

“Research? What does your class need you to do research on?” The golden guardian flew up to his face, blocking the way out of his room, almost a complete flip in emotions. “They aren’t bothering you again, are they? It’s not that spikey-haired jerk, right?”

It was funny seeing the mixed look of concern and anger on such a plush face; the way Kero’s eyebrows suddenly came into existence and furrowed, a complete juxtaposition from his soft, default look. Rather than laugh, Izuku took it as the concern and care that it was, smiling brightly at his companion, even as he gently moved him.

“No, I volunteered to do this.” The bedroom door was opened, the two moving to the fridge for a portable snack before leaving the Midoriya apartment. “Our class is doing a ‘hero wax museum’ for the cultural festival at the end of the month. Because of that, we needed people to bring in information about heroes to practice.”

“But don’t you already know, like, everything there is to know about heroes? For some reason, I can’t believe  _ you _ need to go to a library.” Kero’s confusion is not unwarranted.  _ ‘I do have thirteen notebooks dedicated solely to heroic information…’ _ the green-haired boy blushed, covering his face with one hand.

“I- I really don’t, but when I reminded my classmates of this, they said it needed to be done anyway since they were mainly focusing on the top heroes around the world--and Katsuki doesn’t want to touch my ‘stalker notes’.” He raised his index finger to the air as though he was giving a lecture; “They should know that even with the foreign heroes chosen I still have boatloads of info on them and their style.”

“Right, right…” The two just continued their walk to the Musutafu Library, Kero carefully changing the topic away from heroes.

\-----

“Hey, Kero,” Izuku whispered. Even from his spot close by the guardian had a hard time hearing him. “You think this librarian is... _ too _ strict?”

The moment Izuku’s voice raised above the barely-there whisper that it was, the mentioned librarian’s eyes found them, glaring at the green-haired boy. Kero waited until the librarian looked away before agreeing. “Yeah, they’re making it hard to do much of anything.” Only a few tables over a young girl giggled quietly at her book. Apparently, it was too much for the new overseer, as the girl mimed a gasp, clenching her throat.

The two magicians shrank away from the display of the quirk. They’ve been coming to the library every other day recently for their class, as they were setting up on the off days. In that time--three visits--the librarian has used their quirk to forcibly silence at least six people.

“Do you think…” The boy whispered over his book on Moroccan heroes; “Could this be a Sakura Card?” The plush lion gave him an incredulous look that said:  _ “This is obviously a human’s quirk, not a card!” _ The greenette shrugged. “Well, I can’t think of any reason why the library suddenly imposed a rule of absolute silence. Plus, they haven’t done any  _ actual _ librarian duties, just the cartoon ones…”

The two watched on as another person was silenced. Their footsteps were too loud, and somehow the mysterious librarian’s quirk was able to silence  _ that, too. _ Green eyes met black, and Kero shrugged. “Maybe, but how would you even go about this? Last time I checked, using your ‘quirk’ on people is a big no-no unless you have explicit permission.”

“Hmm…” Izuku thought about it, but he didn’t get anywhere before they had to leave.

\-----

“So Kero,” Izuku began, falling backwards onto his mattress; “have you identified the card--if it is one? I’d like to visit the library  _ without _ fear of breathing too loud.”

The lion plush was sitting on the desk, the previously collected cards circling him as he meditates. “Yeah… If it really is a card, then it has to be The Silent, otherwise…” He shrugged.

The greenette waved him off. “It’s fine. Plus, I figured out a way to get close enough to seal the potential card!” The boy sat up, summoning his staff and holding out his hand for The Illusion to float into. “Show my plan,” he said, activating the card, letting the room fade away. In its place, the Musutafu Public Library appeared, as well as projections of the two magic users and their target.

“All we have to do is go up to the counter with the guise of wanting to check out some materials.” The Illusion did just that, and the two watched as their copies walked up to the librarian, the sealing staff already out.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Kero interrupted. “They’ll think something is up if you just point your staff like that. How’re you not going to arouse suspicion if you’re just carrying it around?”

Izuku gave his companion a smile. “Since you can rent art supplies from libraries, I’ll be asking for those rather than books. The staff will be part of my project, so I can just say I’m working on it.” Illusion-Izuku mimed the real Izuku’s words, and the librarian nodded along. “So, we’re up close and have an excuse. All I need to do at this point is barely whisper the sealing spell, and if it’s a card we’re home free!” The Illusion showed just that happening, a blank card flying into his hands.

“And if it’s  _ not _ The Silent card? What then?” Kero, ever the pessimist--but not really, so--says again. “For all they know, you’ve just assaulted them with your quirk, potentially revealing yourself to be a villain.” Illusion reverses, showing the point where the magic circle appears, but the librarian doesn’t disappear into a card. Izuku watches as his doppelganger gets yelled at by the librarian, even the police showing up.

Putting a stop to all of this, the greenette waves an arm rapidly, dissolving the illusion and bringing it back to the moment under scrutiny. “That won’t happen.”

“Right,” Kero said, crossing his arms.

“I’ll just tell them about my ‘speciality quirk’. Most people forgive misfires pretty easily with that one, and add in the fact I’ve had my ‘quirk’ for little over a month...” He shrugged.

The two stare at one another for a long moment. They would have gone on longer if it weren’t for The Illusion mimicking them, making faces to break the tension.

Kero sighs in defeat, and an effort not to laugh. “Alright, fine. Don’t get arrested-  _ again _ .”

Izuku nods. “Of course!”

\-----

Kero sweatdropped as they exited the library, Izuku holding The Silent in the air triumphantly. “I can’t believe that worked.” A paw was raised to block out the setting sun. “Last time I had to go against that card, we kept getting transported away every time. This is so unfair,” he said with a pout.

“You’re just upset that you don’t get to celebrate with a dessert this time.” the lion plush couldn’t say anything to dispute that fact, so he simply said nothing. “Just be glad that your ‘grounding’ is over tomorrow, and then in three weeks you get to witness the disaster that is the Orudera Cultural Festival.”

“Yeah, yeah. And you still haven’t told me what you’re making for your mother.”

“That’s because if I tell you  _ now, _ you’ll just whine all day about not getting a portion. If I let you find out in class, then I only have to deal with you for a few hours.” Izuku grinned at the semi-faux offended sound that left Kero, snickering at the lion plush’s reaction.

Kero rapidly flew around the greenette’s head, swatting at the green curls. “You take that back! I do not ‘whine’ when I don’t get sweets!” Izuku laughed as he began running back to the apartment, leaving a yelling Kero to chase after him. “Don’t just run away! You have to sleep in the same room as me, you know!”

Izuku just laughed harder.

\-----

Kero was floating menacingly before Izuku’s face, a powerful aura of  _ anger _ radiating off the lion plush. Izuku held his hands up in defence against the psychic attack Kero was trying to perform. “I can’t believe you…”

The greenette laughed awkwardly at the statement. “I don’t know what you mean,” he replied shakily. Kero got closer to his face making him duck slightly. “O-Oh, you mean my dessert?” The responding flare of the menacing aura was answer enough. “I just thought it was fair since you ate all of hers.”

“So you make a cake, a strawberry swiss roll _ , _ for your mother, and I’m not allowed to eat any of it?” Kero glared at the boy. “That’s  _ literally _ my favorite flavor!”

“That- that actually had no factor into my decision-making process,” he weakly defended.

With a sniff, the lion plush turned away from the greenette, refusing to look at him any longer. “I highly doubt that.” Izuku sweatdropped. “Your punishment is my silence. Have fun walking home now without someone to talk to.”

_ ‘I can’t really say that’s a semi-good thing,’ _ Izuku thought awkwardly. “Okay, fine, don’t talk.” The final school bell rang, signifying the release of the students. Making a quick trip to the food lab, Izuku picked up his mother’s dessert, carrying it carefully even as Kero silently glared at him. “I think I’ll manage a silent walk home again.”

He really didn’t mean for it to sound so… pathetic? hurt? but that’s how it came out, forcibly reminding both magic users of what life was like for one Midoriya Izuku before he gained a ‘quirk’.  _ ‘Man, did  _ not _ need that reminder.’ _

Kero’s smooth flight stalled for a moment before he righted himself.  _ ‘And now Kero’s going to feel bad, oh man.’ _ “It’s fine,” the green-haired boy said quickly. “Really, you’re entitled to being upset and walking home quietly is a good thing every once in a while.” He gives a smile, hoping to calm the likely guilt-ridden Kero.

The lion plush opens his mouth to say something, but when he gets a clear look at Izuku’s eyes he just nods, understanding that the Cardcaptor really holds no ill will towards the guardian

“Right.” Izuku raises the box holding his mother’s dessert. “Now let’s bring this to mom!” He immediately begins a badly coordinated march back to the Midoriya apartment. If he hears a quiet snicker coming from behind him, then he’s not going to fault Kero for it. That’s the whole reason why he’s doing this, to make Kero feel better.

\-----

Inko sweatdropped at the loud crying coming from Izuku’s companion. Really, all they did was reveal that the swiss roll was for them to share and he just started bawling like a true Midoriya. “You guys are so nice!” Two sniffles paired with a loud blowing of a nose. “But also really mean!”

“We just didn’t want to ruin the surprise,” the younger Midoriya said, pulling another tissue for Kero to use. “Mom and I thought you’d already been punished enough, so we agreed to share the cake this time.” Another loud sniffle from the lion plush.

Inko gave her son a look that said “He really is your quirk, huh?” and Izuku blushed. His mother was always unashamedly a crier, and while Izuku took no shame from crying, he’d rather do it in front of those closest to him. Kero was apparently the same.

“Okay, okay,” Inko said to the pair. “We still have a cake to eat, and it’s hard to truly enjoy something Izuku made with tears falling down your face.” The plump green-haired woman received two nods, one a bit more watery than the other, and she began to cut pieces for each of them.

\-----

“That,” Kero began.

“Was awful,” Izuku finished. “I know; always is.”

The greenette was just finishing cleaning his face of makeup, all traces of his Rocking Hero: Wavelength costume wiped away as his class’ wax hero museum closed. It was officially the last day of the cultural festival for Orudera Junior High, and just like with any time a class decides to do anything hero related, it was awful.

Kero floated up to him as he changed into his gym uniform. “And you still have to participate in the sporting events, right?” A nod. “Which ones? Because I need to know when to hide myself when you fail,” he said cheekily.

“Rude,” he said, no bite in the word. “I’ll have you know it’s for the archery club this time; we have a little ‘exhibition’ for those that want to watch, and since we only have maybe five months of the year left, it also doubles as a way to get younger siblings into the club. Or just any kids coming to this school next year.”

The two walked in silence until they arrived at the temporary range, finding their sensei waiting with the group of third-year club members. “Ah, Midoriya-kun,” Sato-sensei greeted. “That means we’re only waiting for Ono-chan and Kubota-chan.”

“They’re probably off behind the stairwell again.” A round of snickers passed through the group, even as Sato-sensei gave Takai-kun a look.

“Takai-kun, need I remind you that you were late to the past five meetings because of Makino-kun?” Takai Katashi, the only other green-haired kid in third-year ducked his head, clearly embarrassed at the reminder. Izuku laughed just a little, as did the other members of the club.  _ ‘Funny. Two months ago and  _ I _ would be the one they’re talking about.’ _

“Well,” Sato-sensei said, “here they are. You two, you’re almost late, you know.”Ono Saki, a brown-haired girl that sometimes talks to Izuku whenever they’re next to one another, blushes lightly. Kubota Momoko, a yellow-haired girl that is a little standoffish at times shrugs, unaffected by the light scolding.

With the group together, Sato-sensei has each of the third-year members, only seven in total, line up. They weren’t really having a ‘match’ per se, but the scores were taken down to help choose who goes to the end of year Midori-Ku Ward Tournament. 

Izuku heard the starting bell and listened as all the chattering around the range quieted down. The greenette himself was third in the row, so when it was his turn, he was less nervous to be watched. A quiet beep signalled his turn.

Nocking an arrow on his Arrow-provided bow, Izuku closed his eyes, breathing deeply. On the exhale he opened them, found his target, minutely adjusted his aim and let it fly. A solid  _ thunk _ sounded, followed by quiet clapping. Lowering his bow, Izuku calmed himself and took the time to find his target--eight points--and then watched his year mates.

Most of the archery club was composed of first and second years, but once the third year started, many didn’t return because what is a club to training for a hero school? Izuku watched as Takai-kun loosed his arrow, landing him with a solid eight points as well. Looking over the other member’s targets, Izuku found most of them had gotten within the three innermost rings. Guess that’s what three years of practice did for you--or magic, in his case.

This continued for another twenty minutes, each member shooting their target and so on down the line, and once the line was complete the points were recorded and the arrows collected by the first-year members. Since it wasn’t a true match they didn’t go through even ten ends, but with the structure Sato-sensei made--each member going one arrow at a time--it took longer than usual. Still, they had a total of twenty-four arrows to fire and a potential score of two-hundred and forty at the top.

Finally, it was Izuku’s last arrow. Knowing that it didn’t really matter that much to him who went to the tournament, Izuku just let his arrow fly. Now, that isn’t to say he flopped--Sato-sensei would kill him. He just didn’t worry about it all that much. Besides, with only two months of practice, Izuku thinks he shouldn’t take one of the three spots from the other members who spent years in this sport. So, yeah, he just let the arrow fly.

_ Thunk! _ Izuku breathed a sigh of relief that he was done, not even bothering to check his target. Without this last volley, he was somewhere around... _ one-seventy-nine?  _ Yeah, the top three spots are going to Takai-kun, Ono-chan and Kubota-chan; surprisingly, they are really good at archery, which shouldn’t be surprising since they’ve been doing it for years. 

A glance to his target revealed a bullseye, taking his total up to one-eighty-nine.  _ ‘Huh. wild.’ _ Looking at the final score sheet-- _ ‘Done already?’ _ \--Izuku found himself in fourth place, which is really confusing until he remembered that A) Arrow is magic, B) He’s been practising on his own whenever they don’t meet up, and C) the rest of the club is unfortunately afraid of competitions. Crazy how that happened, huh?

Done with the event, Izuku set himself to find a booth that had some sort of snack, or maybe a drink. He was headed to one of the many tents selling takoyaki when Kero literally flew into his face. “ _ Gah _ \- Kero!”

“Sorry, sorry, but we have a problem!” Kero turned around, seemingly surveying the area. His movements were rapid as though he was afraid.

“Did someone figure out it’s magic?!”

“No, but there’s a Sakura Card nearby and I’m pretty sure that it’s headed your way.” Green eyes scanned the crowd of people, watching the families talk happily as they walked to and from the different club events that Orudera is putting on.  _ ‘Mom would have loved it. If only hospitals aren’t so busy.’ _

He shook the thought from his head, turning to Kero once more. “Do you know which direction it’s coming from? That could help us figure it out.” The lion plush nodded once, pointing to the right, and yet he still swivelled his head around in all directions.

Looking that way found Izuku staring at Katsuki headed his way. “This is  _ not _ what I wanted today,” the greenette groaned. Steeling himself, the short Cardcaptor waved to the ash blond. “Hey, Katsuki. What’s up?” The blond didn’t say anything. “...Alright, well if you don’t mind, Kero and I are going to-”

“There!” Kero’s shout startled both boys. Quickly turning the way Kero was facing--the exact opposite from where he originally pointed--had Izuku looking at…

“Okay, Kero,” The boy said slowly. “What am I looking at?”

Indeed that was the question. Probably only a few meters away from the trio-- _ reluctant _ trio, by Katsuki’s grunted reminder--stood a pomeranian holding a...stick...in its mouth. The dog was in a stance that indicated anger, growling and shuffling its legs. 

Izuku got the distinct impression that the dog reminded him of some pre-quirk video game, but that’s absurd because pre-quirk games aren’t his forte.

“ _ That _ , Izuku,” Kero said, taking the whole situation in stride, even as the dog continued to growl, “is The Sword.”

“It’s a dog…”

“Not the  _ dog _ , you dummy!” Kero shouted at the Cardcaptor. “The thing in its mouth, Sword! It possesses the holder without a master, giving them an innate ability in swordplay; it’s come to attack you.”

Green and red eyes levelled the lion plush with a disbelieving look. Pointing at the dog, Izuku said, “That thing looks like it will attack me, yes, but not with Sword. Probably with a glare.” He pauses for a moment, snapping his fingers in an epiphany, “Like Katsuki! Glaring across the schoolyard during lunch!”

“The  _ fuck _ you say about me?!” The green-haired boy waves him off, ignoring the outburst completely, surprising Katsuki and Kero.

“Whatever.” The short teen says. Taking careful steps like he learned to do from his month of grounding, he approaches the angry pomeranian. He doesn’t try to extend a hand like an idiot, just get closer. Like an idiot.

In a move that’s  _ totally obvious and predictable _ , the Sword-possessed dog growls louder as the only warning before swinging the Sword with impressive coordination--for a dog--at the Cardcaptor’s ankles. The teen yelps, nearly tripping himself in his haste to get  _ away _ from the large and very sharp blade coming for his legs.

“Okay,” Katsuki says, “so Izuku’s quirk is trying to attack him again. Great.”

*

Dodging yet another swipe for his legs, Izuku calls out for advice. “I get it now, Kero. I wasn’t expecting the swordplay to actually transfer to the dog, but seeing as it’s  _ literally keeping me on my toes _ , I think it’s safe to say it does!” He jumps a bit too late, getting a nice-sized gash on his shin that has the boy hissing in pain. “Any ideas?!”

Kero, floating near the “fight”, responds; “The best course of action would be to get the pomeranian to release Sword, removing its possession. A good way to do that is to distract it with something it wants, and then you knock it from its mouth.”

Katsuki was just about to add a comment about how pathetic the fight was, if it could even be called that, when the pomeranian, in all its furry rage, jumped impressively high, startling everyone in the vicinity-- _ ‘When had a crowd formed?’ _ \--and earning another gash down Izuku’s right arm.

Summoning his staff, Izuku pulled out Illusion, ready to  _ finally stop jumping around. _ “Illusion, distract this dog with its favorite  _ any-thing!” _ The card burst into ribbons, forming a kaleidoscope-patterned shape between the tired greenette and the Sword-wielding dog.

Thoroughly distracted, the dog’s jaw loosened its hold on the handle of Sword. Not wasting the opportunity the Cardcaptor forced the jaw to open wider, careful of teeth and injuring the animal. With an anticlimactic  _ clang _ The Sword was released, and the wild pomeranian fled.

_ “Return to the guise you were meant to be; Sword!” _ From its position on the ground, Sword began floating, dissolving into ribbons before collecting into the form of a card, flying neatly into Izuku’s outstretched hand.

“Yeah, alright!” Kero cried, flying to his friend in celebration. Surprisingly Katsuki joined the duo, looking at the new card with a hint of scepticism.

The Sword Card’s face was that of, well- a sword. The hilt of the blade was nondescript, followed by a crossguard made up of a pair of wings, centered around a circle with a star in the middle. The whole of Sword was depicted to be chained in its card, as though keeping the card secure from breaking free.

“Nerd,” the blond said, startling Izuku out of his thoughts about his new card. Looking at his not-friend, he was met with a strange look on Katsuki’s face. Gesturing to his right arm and left leg, Katsuki said, “You’re bleeding; got cut by that shitty dog.”

Looking down revealed that he indeed was bleeding from his two wounds. His shin wasn’t cut that deep, and subsequently wasn’t bleeding by much. His arm, on the other hand, was another story; the gash ran all the way from mid-upper arm to his wrist. It was bleeding quite heavily--not enough to be life-threatening, but enough to be concerning--with the blood dripping off his fingers.

*

“Oh,” the green teen said absently. “Would you look at that, I am. I didn’t even notice, to be honest; barely feel a little sting.” He ignored the fearful outcries of Kero as he and Katsuki made their way to the medical tent for the festival, completely bypassing the oblivious crowd that was now dispersing. 

“My mom’s not going to get mad if you leave, Katsuki,” the green-haired boy says easily from his cot. “I know you had other things you wanted to do, so…” he waved his unbandaged arm at the festival proper, “have fun. Oh! And tell Auntie I said ‘hi’, will you?”

The blond got a weird look on his face-- _'_ _ Is he constipated or something?’ _ \--before leaving without a word.  _ ‘Whatever,’ _ he thought, looking at the bandages and his concerned companion.

“Now to explain this all to mom…”

\-----

“I said I was sorry!” Izuku whined. “Ah!” He hissed as his mother tried to crush him in a hug.

“Sorry,” she said, releasing her son. She grimaces at the memory of him being walked into the hospital while she was on shift. “I just don’t like you being hurt, and seeing you being brought into the hospital while I was right there… I didn’t like it.”

Izuku ducked his head at the reminder of the worry he’d caused. “It’s not exactly my fault that I was attacked.” The doctors said it wasn’t anything serious--even if it  _ was _ a large cut--and had him fixed in no time at all. “Speciality quirks are weird, and mine just so happens to like attacking me.”

“Ugh, genetics,” Inko muttered and Izuku snickered at her comment, bringing a smile to the both of them. She tied off the bandage and sighed. “Well, now that  _ that’s _ over, I’m going to make dinner.”

“Katsudon?”

“Katsudon.”

\-----

Izuku looked at the card he was currently holding. It was like a wing with a star emblem within a circle on its joint, chained to its surroundings. It was like a match of The Sword. “So…” the boy began. “Any idea why Shield was keeping me from leaving my room just now?”

The green-haired boy had tried to get up for breakfast; upon reaching the door, he found himself unable to walk past the doorway, even after opening it. Kero had no trouble passing through, and neither did his mother.

“If I have to guess,” Kero said, “it probably sensed how much your mom wanted to keep you safe, so it ‘shielded’ you in your room, the safest place around.” The lion plush shrugged, flying to the kitchen as Izuku walked. “Shield is a nice and dependable card, protecting things that people care for the most. It makes sense that it would do that after sensing your mom.”

Izuku’s eyes watered as he and Inko looked at one another. “That’s so sweet.”

Kero sweatdropped as the two Midoriya’s cried, leaving Kero to enjoy his pancakes by himself for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potentially skipped section summary:  
> Izuku dodges around the Sword-possessed dog, getting hit in the process on his right arm and left shin. He uses Illusion to distract the dog long enough to seal The Sword and Katsuki points out the wounds afterwards.
> 
> Hi, I'd like to give a little shoutout to commenter Belltiger_BT for forcing a b r a i n b l a s t about a canon!Zacian cameo with a dog and The Sword (I still feel bad about my first comment to their suggestion...). I tried to make it fit the mood as best I could, but writing is tough sometimes.
> 
> Anyway! Three new cards! That's exciting, right?
> 
> If you can't tell, I'm setting a few things up for the next few chapters.  
> I would like it pointed out that canon!Bakugou undergoes a /lot/ of his character development within the first two terms of year 1 (about April to December (but actually April to October))--I'm not dissing on season 5 (because I still haven't watched it yet), but he goes from "intolerable bitch" to "tolerable jerk most of the time"--so I'd like to say that having Katsuki undergo that same development into the "tolerable jerk most of the time" over 10 months, rather than 7, with the various skipped time between that Horikoshi doesn't touch, but would still affect Bakugou's character in /some/ way.  
> I'm off-topic. What I'm trying to do is justify my inability to "properly" write Bakugou Katsuki by saying /my/ Katsuki's development is going to be on-par with end-of-season 4 canon!Bakugou. With a few missteps because writing is still new to me and whatnot.
> 
> Listen. Archery is fun and I enjoy it. Never have I ever done any sort of competitive archery in my life, so understand when some of my knowledge or writing is off--I /know/ they'd never have a "match" structured the way Sato-sensei had (which was for the ones who had stage fright [which, in hindsight, makes zero sense, but- eh])--but I wanted archer!Izuku and I'm going to write him.  
> Anyway, his score was totalled as follows: (8+7+6 +9+8+8 +7+7+7 +8+8+10 +9+6+7 +9+8+8 +9+7+7 +8+8+10) Remember that the others have been practising for years, giving them a near-constant stream of 8s and 9s, or semi-consistent 10s, at least, until their nerves caught up to them.
> 
> Here's Izuku's hero for the class 3-A wax hero museum:  
> Rocking Hero: Wavelength  
> Quirk - Sound wave  
> It lets her vibrate the air with extreme precision, allowing her to create blasts of sound from seemingly nowhere. She also works as a musician, using her quirk to produce various tones at once, or allowing her to harmonise with herself at will. She has extreme control since when she was younger she constantly broke her surroundings with her quirk, so she trained for years to get how proficient as she is now.  
> Description - 29 years old. 5' 5", long, curly blue hair and yellow eyes. Skin is a light brown. Graduated from Ketsubutsu. Friends with Present Mic and occasionally calls into his radio show just to talk; she lives in China after graduation and is half Chinese (Mom) and half Japanese (Dad). (Met Pres. Mic due to sound hero similarities.)  
> Hero Costume - think Kiss, but not the facepaint. She goes for the eccentric rocker look and mainly goes with purple as her motif. She always has an electric guitar strapped to her back, as using a medium makes it easier to utilize her quirk.
> 
> But that's all for now! I will see you guys next time--and hopefully on Tumblr at some point. Remember to comment on any parts you liked or even little suggestions! I love reading them!
> 
> Bye!


	8. Watch Out, All Might!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku's day at school is weird, but then it just becomes a crazy mess afterwards. Honestly, when will he get a break?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! What is /up/ my readers? I am back and with another chapter!
> 
> This chapter is funky, fresh, but also strange because action is /not/ my strong point. (Do I have one of those? IDK.) But It's okay! Because I like this chapter, and even if you don't... *shrugs conspiratorially*
> 
> Well, I have nothing else to say before this chapter begins other than I hope you enjoy 10 pages--3,754 words--of Cardcaptor Izuku!

While chewing on his onigiri, green eyes found their way to the sports fields that the Second-years occupied at this time. A game of soccer was going on between a red and blue team, the former leading by three points. “Wow…” Izuku said quietly as a particularly skilled forward on the blue team just scored from half-field.

_ “Izuku.” _ The aforementioned boy jumped slightly, almost dropping his food. Turning to face the newcomer--Katsuki--brought nothing good as the blond’s scowl was present.

“Yeah? What do you want,” he said, regaining a certain air of nonchalance that somehow appeared whenever Katsuki tried to be intimidating nowadays. He took a bite from his onigiri; “As you can see I’m busy eating, so you’d better make it fast.”

Katsuki’s face twitched, either in anger or... _ something _ , before he spoke again. “The hag wants me to make sure you’re not hurt,” the boy practically spat. Clearly, he didn’t want to be doing this.

“You can tell her ‘thanks’, and that I’m good. Mom wouldn’t let me go to school otherwise.” The blond scoffed and Izuku just finished his lunch, rewrapping the box.

“Obviously; that’s what  _ I _ told her.” Katsuki crossed his arms roughly, turning to the field. Izuku joined him in watching the blue team’s second wind in silence. At some point the blond sat across the picnic table from him, silently observing the game.

“The old man found out from Auntie that you could go to a competition before the year’s over.” Izuku jumped at the breach of silence. “Got him really excited to watch you; wouldn’t shut up about shitty banner ideas all weekend.” He scoffed. “Nearly cried when Auntie said you likely won’t be going.” The two sat in silence once more.

Just after the bell signalling lunch was over rang, Katsuki muttered to himself as he got up, likely not meaning to be heard. “Damn nerd.”

Not able to even address the can of worms that Katsuki accidentally opened on his lap, Izuku watched as his sometimes-friend-not walked back into the building.

“What...just happened?”

\-----

The front door slammed. “I’m home, Kero!” Izuku called out. The greenette grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the counter, taking it with him as he entered his room. There, just where the novice magic-user left him, Kero sat playing another of his games. “Did you seriously play the entire time I was at school?”

The golden guardian didn’t respond other than a quick “no”, the sounds of futuristic gunfire nearly covering it up. “How was your day,” Kero grunts, rapidly mashing buttons as he attacks…  _ ‘I don’t even  _ know _ what that is…’ _

“It was fine if a little strange there in the middle.” He bit into the apple--tart--and set his bag on the desk. He had homework to do, but it was  _ math _ , literally his best subject besides science--biology to be specific, but who cares?

“What do you mean ‘weird’?” He grunted a bit more, literally stretching his body across the controller just to play.  _ ‘Maybe he’d like a better-fitting controller?’ _ “Like, Sakura Card-weird, or just normal-weird?” Kero’s character pulled out an utterly massive gun, letting loose on the grotesque enemies; Kero laughed evilly.

Ignoring the display of madness, the greenette slumped his head onto folded arms over his desk; apple forgotten beside his bag. “Normal-weird. Katsuki decided to be--get this-- _ nice _ , and he only swore  _ once…. _ It was unsettling.” The boy shivered.

Kero cried out in triumph as he apparently got to the objective.  _ ‘First-person shooters are so hard to follow.’ _ Finding a good place to stop after a small cutscene, Kero flew to his companion’s face. “Funky. But, hey, wanna go hero-stalking-” he expertly dodged the hand Izuku used to swipe at him, laughing “-around the city for a few hours? Then we can go to that beach you’re cleaning!”

“Sure, why not?”

\-----

“Oh my god- Kero! Look! It’s a genuine All Might fight, and it’s happening  _ right now!” _

The green-haired fanboy was pointing to the tackily dressed muscle-man punching at absolutely nothing. Of course, they were safely behind the police barricade, free to watch the  _ number one hero _ punch at nothing, but Kero still thought it was crazy.

Looking at the Cardcaptor, Kero started. “Is the enemy invisible or something?” Quirks were still hard to remember in this day and age for the lion plush, so sometimes he still had to ask what was going on.

Almost frantically the greenette nodded, smiling wide as a burst of air nearly swept the gathered crowd off their feet. “Yeah! You can tell by the way the cracks are appearing on the ground at approximately two-point-five second intervals! Combine that with the--albeit smaller--blasts of air pressure, you can obviously see that All Might is fighting against a strong, invisible enemy!”

Kero sweatdropped. “Wow, okay, maybe take a breath next time?”

“Never!” Izuku nearly yelled. He pulled his notebook-- _ ‘Where did he keep that?!’ _ \--out and began writing. “This obviously has to be the work of two, no,  _ three _ villains at once; one for the invisibility--probably five-finger contact and time duration--one for the enhanced speed--could either be five-finger or even telekinetic--and then the last one--a heteromorphic quirk that likely gave them a denser body, based on the, presumably, footprints left behind.”

Izuku’s muttering went quiet as All Might let loose a punch, stopping before his arm extended fully as though coming into contact with something. The resulting blast of air had the crowd gasping; All Might just directly hit the villain with a strong punch!

To Kero, it was almost hilarious how the ridiculously smiling blond man’s stomach caved inwards at an invisible blow, but if the other onlooker’s cries were to be believed then that was a bad thing. “Wow, Izuku, you were right: hero fights  _ are _ cool to watch.”

“Wait, but that- that doesn’t make any sense?” The flying lion plush looked to the greenette, careful not to lose him in the crowd.

“What doesn’t? That All Might got hit?”

Izuku shook his head. “No, the way his abdomen indented; it was too low for even the most average of heteromorphic quirk users that gain a higher body density, add in the fact that the indent was deeper at the top rather than the middle, that means that the punch was thrown by someone short, like one-fifty centimeters short.

“But, then that would mean that All Might is fighting someone your height, and if that were the case then the dense body quirk wouldn’t be nearly as effective to tank a hit from All Might- they’d still be too light.” Green eyes shone in concern, and then realization. Turning to his confused partner, Izuku spoke. “You don’t think this could be a Card, do you?”

Gasping, Kero grimaced. “If it’s a card, then All Mighty is in trouble.” 

“All Might.”

Kero ignored the correction. “The only card that I can think of doing something like this would be The Power card.” Izuku groaned at the name. “That’s about the right reaction to have. Power likes to prove itself to be the strongest wherever they are, and the only way to seal it is to beat it first.”

The two watched as All Might and Power continued battling it out, grimacing at the thought of going against Power in any capacity. “For some reason, the card is seriously powered up, like how Firey was powered down against that fire guy. If it can go against your strongest hero, then you’ll have to be smart to win.”

Izuku thought about the challenge that was presented to him.  _ ‘Power is too powerful to go against in a punch-out, and there’s no way to get involved without getting in major trouble with the police, especially since I can no longer use the excuse of having my quirk for less than a month.’ _

“Izuku, you better have something quick; Power’s losing interest in this guy.”

“I’m thinking!”

_ ‘What could work without me getting into trouble?! I can’t get involved without a minimum jail time and UA won’t let me in with that on my record. Literally, anything I do to help will be taken as a threat against the heroes, and  _ that’s _ a big no…’ _

“Mom is going to  _ kill _ me if she ever finds out what I’m doing.” As quickly as he can without seeming suspicious, Izuku makes his way out of the crowd and away from the fight--which is a challenge even unto himself because of the sheer number of people watching.

Kero, the unfortunate one who wasn’t really paying enough attention to a short boy who has experience vanishing in plain sight, was left behind, oblivious to the inner turmoil that Izuku was currently going through.

\-----

“Voice; check. Illusion; check. Jump; check. Dash; check.”

A child-like figure was crouching on the roof of a building overlooking the fight. The occasional burst of air would ruffle the black-lined pink dress that covered her top, split at the waist to reveal a pair of black shorts and black thigh-high boots. Her short brown hair was shifting in the wind, even under her matching hat. Steeling herself, she gripped their pink bird-like staff.

Taking one last deep breath, the girl rose and took a stand on the edge of the roof, effectively revealing herself to the entire crowd, surrounding heroes, and the two active fighters. Forcing false bravery into her voice, the girl shouted at one being in particular.

“And here I thought you challenged the  _ strongest!” _ A collective intake of breath came from the crowd. Kamui Woods tensed as Death Arms got into a battle stance. All Might himself looked confused at the intervention of what looked like a middle school girl dressed in a future hero costume.

“Power,” she yelled before anyone could stop her, “I challenge you to a race! From here-” the girl swung out her staff, pointing it to the east, directly at UA High School “-to UA!” Another collective gasp. Heroes began moving to stop the girl before she got herself in more danger than she already was in, challenging a villain on par with All Might. “That’s three and a half kilometers!

“And before you decline based on it not being a challenge of strength, remember that your legs need to be just as strong to last long in a fight!” The girl glared down at the last known location of Power, clearly waiting for any sort of response.

It was silent for all but a moment before a girl sporting long hair pulled into twin buns appeared. She was mainly pink, but her clothes--consisting of puffy pants and spiked bracelets--were a shade darker, leaning more toward red. The two girls stared at one another, ignoring horrified cries from heroes and a loud cough from All Might.

The girl atop the building jumped down, landing softly next to Power. There was a tense air as the two were determined to win; they shook hands politely before standing shoulder to shoulder, ready to race. From where the girl first appeared a speaker appeared.

_ “On your mark,” _ echoed a robotic voice.  _ “Get set.” _ The heroes on the scene prepared, as even All Might stepped back away from the pair. Muscles were tensed, thoughts cleared; they were ready to race. 

_ “Go!” _ Light a bullet from a gun the two were off, leaving a large crater in their wake and dust in the air. Everyone panicked as the slightly blurred forms of both girls were getting farther and farther away, running straight down the center of the road.

“Get all heroes to clear the Shiodacho Hondacho Line, now!” The Lower Musutafu police chief said. “Someone, get in contact with UA; they need to know they have two unknowns headed their way!” 

In all of the chaos that Power and that girl left, only one person was staying completely still and quiet. Keroberos, the beast of the seal of the Sakura Book, protector of the Sakura Cards, was staring at the crater that was left behind. Only one thought was going around his head at this moment:

“Sakura?”

\-----

“Wow, okay, Kero was lying to me about you, Dash.” Midoriya Izuku, currently under Illusion to disguise his form and Voice to match, was utterly giddy at how powerful Dash was turning out to be. “He said you couldn’t go farther than four-hundred meters--or five minutes--but clearly that’s not true!”

Izuku pumped his arms as he felt his feet solidly connect with the ground. At his side was Power, her face set in a determined smile. The two had been running for about two minutes, already within the last kilometer of the impromptu race; the whole time Izuku had to fight from apologizing to every person he watched be whisked off the street, all due to their reckless running.

“It’s a shame I never took the time to practice with you as I did Jump, but I think this is a perfect example--three and a half kilometers within five minutes!”  _ ‘Seriously, that was amazing by itself, but if you were to combine the fact that I’m not winded at all, then that’s simply--to borrow a term from Kero--OP!’ _

Brought from his thoughts by the ever-closer UA gate, Izuku focused on Dash. Pulling ahead like an experienced endurance runner that saved their energy for the last hundred meters, the disguised greenette went for broke, fully prepared to slam into the UA barrier in his haste to be first. In hindsight, he should have said UA’s wall, not UA itself.

“Yes!” The Cardcaptor yelled, sprinting successfully under the UA barrier without it closing on him. Sliding to a stop, the Illusion-covered boy jumped in place, celebrating his win against Power.

A loud crashing sound broke the boy from his joy. Turning to the gate he’d just passed under revealed a Power-shaped outdent in the famous barrier that is notorious for keeping out even the toughest of blows.  _ ‘Too much for Power, or was it too fast to react to?’ _ He shook his head, walking back to the gate.

“Power,” he began, summoning his staff once more. He looked around the gate, and UA’s grounds; finding no one to help him with the barrier, he summoned Sword, cutting a doorway through the metal so he could face Power properly. “Following our agreed-upon rules, you have lost; I arrived first, meaning I get to seal you away for myself.”

The pink girl nodded sadly, but no less proudly as before; her loss was her own, and she acknowledged the new Cardcaptor’s strength. Izuku smiled at the card, “I had fun today.” Power smiled back and the two shook hands for the last time.  _ “Return to the guise which you were meant to be, Power.” _

The familiar golden glow that accompanies all of Izuku’s magic appeared as a rectangle appeared below Power’s feet. Hidden green eyes widened as Power began sinking into the blank card, completely disappearing within moments; the two shared a final smile before the card shrank to its proper size, leaving Izuku to only pick it up. 

“I’m glad that worked out.”

Izuku--still disguised--spun around to face the newcomer. What greeted him was UA’s animal principal Nedzu in the flesh. “O-Oh my gosh! N-Nedzu, it’s an honor!” Izuku’s stammering seemed to make the dog-mouse-bear hybrid-- _ although, it is highly likely that Nedzu is a quirk-mutated albino stoat with black contacts to make others have a harder time figuring- _

Nedzu cleared his throat, breaking Izuku from his mumbling conjecture about which species the UA principal was; the disguised green-haired boy blushed brightly to which Nedzu smiled more. “I’m wondering how you came to that conclusion, miss…?” he trailed off, waiting for a name.

Panicking, Izuku chose the first one that came to mind for a girl: “Kinomoto.” His brain screamed at him for the blatant misuse of Kero’s previous master’s name.

“Well, Kinomoto-san, I would like to have a word with you about what you’ve done today.”Nedzu motioned for Izuku to follow as he turned to begin walking towards the school. “Obviously you know that what you’ve done today is both applaudable and reprehensible.” A beady eye reminiscent of Kero looked at the boy, to which he nodded.

“Good. That makes this much easier for me.” They reached the doors, where Nedzu pushed a button hidden behind a panel that Izuku hadn’t even  _ seen _ . The floor below them sank at a rapid pace, leaving them in a tunnel. They stopped sinking, only for the floor to move once more, only this time forwards. The Cardcaptor stumbled and Nedzu stared impassively. They changed directions to upwards, and then they stopped.

A door opened to reveal--probably--Nedzu’s office, fitted with couches, a coffee table, and two teacups across from each other. “Mind joining me for a chat? I made a nice brew of jasmine earlier and it’s just now ready to drink.” The principle hopped onto the couch closest to the hidden elevator, already sipping his tea as the boy tentatively sat across from him.

“Um, you would happen to be-”

“Taking you to the police?” Nedzu finished, startling Izuku. The principal laughed into his cup, setting it down. “Kinomoto-san, while I can’t condone your vigilante actions-” Izuku paled considerably “-I can promise you: you aren’t going to jail--or in your case, a juvenile detention center.”

Izuku habitually wrapped his hands around his cup, ready for some sort of punishment. “So then...what  _ are _ you going to do?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Nedzu replied happily. “I first wanted to ask you a few questions about what happened today.” Izuku nodded. “Let’s start with the first: how did you turn the villain into a card? I’m assuming it’s your quirk, but you also acted as you knew them personally, based on what you called out before the race.”

“Can- You can guarantee that I’m not going to juvie?” The principle nods decisively and Izuku lets out a sigh. Standing up, The Cardcaptor called Illusion and Voice off, leaving their two cards to float into his hands one the light dissipated. “My quirk is sentient in many ways; I have my cards-” he held out The Voice and Illusion to Nedzu to look at “-which like to challenge me, and I have-  _ holy shit, where’s Kero?!” _

The newly revealed greenette pulled out his phone, rapidly sending a message to his companion, getting a selfie from the Midoriya apartment. Relieved, he apologizes and puts the phone down, grimacing when he notices Nedzu’s stare. “Sorry, sorry.”

“It’s quite alright Kinomoto-san,” Nedzu says calmly.

“It’s- my name is Midoriya, actually.” This elicits a smile from the principal, almost like he realized just how on-the-nose the family name was. “Kero--short for Keroberos--is my quirk companion, is fully sentient, and is constantly around. The cards I have can’t be used until after I beat a ‘challenge’ they set; once I do I get to make them one of my cards.”

“Hmm, interesting,” Nedzu said happily. “That explains how you knew the name, and turned it into a card.” Izuku nodded, humming as he finally took a sip of tea. “I’m assuming you have more cards, and even more to collect.” The teen nods again. “Well, then I guess my last question is: what am I? A dog, a mouse or a bear?”

Nedzu grinned, looking a bit predatory, in Izuku’s opinion. Nervously, he responds; “Well, I always thought you were a stoat, Nedzu, sir.” The predatory grin grew to reveal his sharp canines but his eyes held a light of joy, as though it was exciting Izuku made that guess. “Um, all jokes aside, sir, but what do I do now?”

The UA principal collected himself quickly--a blink and you miss it kind of deal. “Well, I do believe that if your quirk works just as you say it does, then the police will be fully understanding about this whole thing. As you likely know, having a specialty quirk is no walk in the park, so whenever something like this happens the police are extremely forgiving up until a year after it manifests.”

“So I’m not in trouble?”

“Not entirely.” Izuku tensed. “The most they can do is give you a fine, maximum of five-thousand yen for accidentally causing a disturbance.” Nedzu got up from his place, walking to his desk, opening a drawer. “I take it you’re trying to apply to UA in the spring?”

“Ye-yes.”

“Then you don’t have anything to worry about.” Nedzu smiled at the green-haired boy sitting stiffly on the couch. “Your application file went through last month, and since I’m involved, I can assure you that this incident will not be making you ineligible.” He paused, smiled, then added, “Especially since no one else knows exactly  _ who _ was involved with the incident.”

That shocked the boy. “But aren’t you going to report this at all? Wouldn’t that get you in trouble with the Hero Commission?”

“Ah, but where would the fun go if I were to just release the name of a suspect who has the ability to beat a ‘villain’ that was even with All Might?”

\-----

“Where were you?!” The greenette ducked as a particularly upset Kero flew over him. “You just disappear during an All Mighty fight, and then  _ Sakura _ shows up in one of Tomoyo's costumes and challenges Power to a race to that one school you always go on about!” Kero’s round face looked extremely angry, not that Izuku could blame him.

Showing, rather than telling Kero what happened, Izuku pulled out The Power, her pink form looking to be sleeping now that she was a card again. Kero stopped his frustrated muttering as he looked at the card. The greenette shrugged at Kero’s questioning look.

“How’d you manage to look  _ exactly _ like my last master? I thought Sakura was from literally centuries ago!”

“I don’t know,” he said truthfully. “I just asked Voice and Illusion to disguise me as someone I wouldn’t be recognised as and that’s what they came up with.” The lion plush sighed at the realization that the Sakura Cards would do something like that, at least once. “In better news, Dash can go for at least three and a half kilometers without running out, so that’s nice.”

  
  


“This is just like the Jump card all over again, isn’t it?” Izuku just smiled at the comparison.

\-----

In the middle of Musutafu, a clock tower began glowing, its hand striking midnight.

Izuku and Kero blissfully slept the night away, completely unaware of the growing storm headed their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof! What a chapter! (And what was that little cliffhanger I left there? Who knows!)
> 
> So this is, ya know, a little turning point for Katsuki--even if he doesn't really know it yet--and all that junk stuff! Izuku and Katsuki's relationship from here on out is going to be funky, so... yeah. I will say one thing, though; I don't generally swear, so if Katsuki's dialogue seems stilted or unnatural, it's probably because of that. Sorry.
> 
> Nedzu took up 3 pages--1,006 words--all on his own. How?! Anyway, Nedzu is a fun character, but I absolutely /cannot/ do him justice, if this chapter has anything to do with it. "Nedzu" is the Romaji name for him, and the English name is "Nezu". That means I'll be using Nedzu! Also because I like "Nedzu" better, simply because it sounds better (Ned-zu) v. (Ne-zu), see? IDK, but that's my reasoning.
> 
> Something funky I learned:  
> Latin in- (alt. im-) is a prefix, not to be confused with the English word "In" (which is just shorthand for inside/inward/within). But we do commonly confuse the two, which is why Outdent is a valid word.  
> Found that on Google, so apparently "outdent" is valid, so I'm using it!
> 
> Well, anyway, that was Chapter 8! I hope you liked it and are excited for the next chapter--because I know I am! Comment what you love, what you hate, crack ideas or even just things about CCS or BNHA that you find interesting!
> 
> As always, see you next time!  
> Bye!


	9. The 336 Hour Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku woke up for school, went to school, and went to bed. 
> 
> Izuku woke up for school, went to school, and went to bed.
> 
> Izuku woke up for school... Something isn't right here.
> 
> Shouldn't it be Tuesday already?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! What is up, guys; it's me, with another chapter for you guys to read! Three days early, because I have no self-control and really wanted you guys to read it!
> 
> I made some decisions that are funky and kinda go against CCS for a bit, but it's nothing too big. I promise.
> 
> I really hope that you guys enjoy this chapter because it took me chugging Pepsi, eating countless amounts of Hershey's kisses, and listening to alt. and indie rock just to write this at 1:22 am. It was a - l o t - of work, backtracking and rewriting whole sections so it flowed well and didn't just- end, ya know? Anyway, ignore that.
> 
> Without any more to add, let's get to the 16 pages--5,189 words--of the newest Cardcaptor Izuku chapter!

Onigiri, just like yesterday. 

Green eyes found their way to the sports fields that the Second-years occupied; another game of soccer was going on between a red and blue team, the former leading by three points once more. “You’d think they’d learned to block that blue forward from half-field,” the boy muttered when the blue team scored just like they did yesterday.

_ ‘Actually…’ _ the boy thought,  _ ‘we covered most of the same things that we did yesterday in class today.’ _ He shook his head, chewing his rice thoughtfully.  _ ‘If that were true then I’d have the notes from yesterday; must’ve been a dream or something, like Kero’s always talking about.’ _

_ “Izuku.” _ The aforementioned boy jumped slightly, almost dropping his bento. Frowning at the sense of deja-vu, the greenette found Katsuki standing behind him.

“Yeah?” he said, confused. Why would the blond come to him twice in two days during lunch? Was something wrong?

Katsuki glared at the ground before he spoke again. “The hag wants me to make sure you’re not hurt.” 

_ ‘Hold up. What? That was yesterday, right? Was she not satisfied with my answer last time?’ _

Swallowing his food, Izuku says, “Um, you can tell her that I’m feeling better since Friday and that you guys can visit whenever.” Izuku finished his lunch, rewrapping the box.

“Whatever.” Katsuki crossed his arms roughly, turning to the field. Izuku gave him a weird look when the blond sat down across from him at the picnic table.

“It’s too bad you won't make the trip,” Katsuki said suddenly. The greenette raised a surprised eyebrow at the blond. This was different, yet the same. “The old man found out from Auntie that you could go to a competition before the year’s over.

“Got him really excited to watch you; wouldn’t shut up about shitty banner ideas all weekend.” He scoffed. “Nearly cried when Auntie said you likely won’t be going.” The two sat in silence once more.

Just after the bell signaling lunch was over rang, Katsuki muttered to himself as he got up, likely not meaning to be heard. “Damn nerd; I wanted to watch.”

Izuku stared at the blond as he walked away without further prompting.

“That… was odd…” he said to no one in particular.

\-----

Izuku wasted no time before rushing to his room, startling his companion from his game. ‘Aw man! I died because of you,” the lion plush said angrily, glaring at the teen.

“That’s not important right now.”

_ “Rude.” _

“Kero, something is off about today,” the greenette said. “At first I thought it was just an ‘oh, I dreamt this last night’ or a ‘wow, major deja-vu’ kinda deal, but I  _ swear _ that I’ve already done today once before.”

The boy stared at the lion plush as if to will the understanding the greenette has found to enter Kero’s brain.

The golden guardian thought on the topic for about a minute before groaning. Loudly.

“Unfortunately this makes all too much sense for it to  _ not _ be The Time Card.” Izuku let out a quiet  _ I knew it! _ “As its name suggests it controls aspects of time, allowing the user to stop, slow, or even speed up the flow of time to an extent.”

Stopping his writing-- _ ‘When did he pull out his notebook?’ _ \--Izuku looked up. “You didn’t mention reversing time. Is that something it can do, too?”

“Regrettably,” the lion plush answered with a groan. “Once, at midnight, can Time be used to reverse the flow of time for a full day, twenty-four hours to the dot.” The greenette’s pen scribbles across the page. “It gains more power based on the size and importance of the clock it inhabits, so if your town has a clock tower or something like it, it’s probably there.”

Izuku hums in thought. “Well, the only clock tower that I even know of is the memorial in the center of Musutafu. It’s not that big, but since it’s part of the memorial for the early quirk wars I’d say it’s important enough.”

Kero nodded. “Right. Then we know what we have to do.” He floats to the door, fully intending to leave when Izuku cries out.

“Even though we went back in time I still have Power!”

“That’s...odd.”

“That is weird…” Izuku mumbled. “Since Time is literally forcing us back twenty-four hours, you’d think that  _ everything _ that happened in those previous hours would’ve been rewound. But that’s not the case, seeing as I still have Power even though I got it yes-  _ last time _ . Did Sakura do this, too?”

Kero scrunched his face up in thought. “I don’t...think so? My memory is still a little spotty after spending so long in the seal, and because Time is governed by Yue it always makes me all jumbled up afterward.”

The greenette looks at his companion in concern. “You won’t, like…  _ die _ , will you?”

“Nah, I’m too cool for that!” Kero replies easily. “I don’t get hurt from Time, just… memory problems surrounding it sometimes,” He says with a shrug. Nodding warily, the two left the apartment, a note left for Inko on the counter in case they run late.

\-----

“Wait, Kero! I just realized that the fight All Might had with Power never happened now, and I also never had my meeting with Nedzu!”

“It’s like the last chapter never happened,” Kero replied.

“What?”

“What?”

  
  


\-----

“Magic,” Izuku says. “Why does it have such a heavy tie-in with the space theme?”

“That’s because it’s supplied by the universe itself; those three things just happen to be the closest to humanity, and thus the most influential on magic.”

“And that’s why my magic circle has those three things on them?”

Kero nods; Clow would have  _ loved _ Izuku and all his questions.  _ ‘Ignore that.’ _ “My creator had Sun magic, so he was better at using magic on a larger scale and difficult scaling his power down safely. Sakura had Star magic, and because of that was able to have a balance in her powers, giving her great control over both the Sun and Moon aspects of her power.”

“The Kanji? The zodiac signs?”

“Eastern and Western magics specifically; Clow was great because he successfully merged the two. Sakura learned off his power, so of course, the Cards still hold that aspect in them.”

Izuku hummed lightly, pulling Firey from his holster. He flipped it. “Does every part of the magic circle matter, or is it just those defining features?”

Kero paused his flight. “What’d ya mean?” He asked the boy.

“Well, I was just thinking about its design; Sun, Moon, and Stars, but also the Kanji and zodiac… But there’s also the all-encompassing twelve-pointed star ‘beneath’ all of it, so to speak.” Kero flew over to look. “See?”

“I don’t actually know,” the lion plush said simply.

Izuku shrugged at the response. “Well, anyway,” the boy said as he started walking once more; “I was kind of hoping to ask what  _ my _ magic is. You know, if I lean more towards the Moon or Sun, maybe even the Stars?”

“Maybe at a later date, Izuku. The tower’s coming up.”

\-----

Izuku’s green eyes were narrowed in a scowl at his golden companion. Kero wasn’t even trying to suck up, knowing that the green-haired boy was in the right.

“Why don’t you tell me what went wrong, Kero?” The boy asked coldly. Kero flinched.

“I didn’t-”

“-You didn’t tell me that Time can speed up the clock itself to make a pseudo-midnight, letting it time travel before it was actually midnight.” The lion plush flinched again. 

“You’re lucky I don’t pound you for forgetting something so important,” Izuku muttered, giving the lion plush one last glare before sighing. “Whatever. I understand it's not your fault. I just need to have the most awkward conversation with Katsuki ever and then go after Time. Not a big deal.”

\-----

“We can’t use Fly to reach Time in the clocktower--despite that being the easiest access to her--because she can sense us coming through magic power,” Izuku said, writing the notes in his notebook. “Got it.” He closed the book with a snap, already dressed and ready for school that day.

\-----

“Trying to use Silent and Dash didn’t work either. Hmm…” The greenette ignored Kero’s whining about game progress and the like. 

It was the fourth reset, and Time was proving to be troublesome.

\-----

_ “I want this card fucking _ gone!” Kero sweatdropped as he watched Izuku punch his pillow repeatedly. “Six times.  _ Six times _ I’ve had to listen to Katsuki talk about me make his dad upset.  _ Six times _ I’ve tried to catch fucking- Time!”

He devolved into incomprehensible grunts and muttering; the pillow never stood a chance, nor did it deserve such cruelty.

To be fully honest, Izuku’s reaction was better than expected. They’ve tried practically every Card combination they could think of, and yet every time,  _ Time _ had a way to either escape, stop them, sense them, or even just reset before they had a chance...

“Izuku, you need to get ready for school otherwise you’ll be late!”

Izuku’s pillow will never know peace after the flurry rush that was just unleashed after that declaration.

\-----

“Hey, Katsuki.” The blond stutters to a stop behind him.

“How’d you know I was there?” Katsuki asks, glaring at him even as he comes round the picnic table; “You weren’t even paying attention.” The greenette shrugged cryptically, smiling to the side as the red team scored another goal.

\-----

Izuku screamed into his pillow. Inko was a little worried that Izuku showed up to breakfast with red-rimmed eyes. He didn’t say anything after eating other than his thanks and a quiet farewell.

She would talk to him after he got back; probably needs to vent his stresses for the upcoming exam.

\-----

Izuku, completely done with Time and its magic turns to his not-friend with a sarcastic smile. “I’ve been stuck in a time loop for the past week, unable to break it and forced to relive the same twenty-four hours without rest.”

Katsuki’s face morphed into one that made it look like he’d just eaten a lemon. “What the fuck?” Izuku laughed at that as he has twice now.

“Sorry, sorry; it’s just a joke I picked up from one of my mom’s new shows.” It’s not, but Izuku nearly cries at the wish that it  _ was _ . “Anyway,” he segues badly, “what can I do for you?”

\-----

Izuku nods, smiling lightly. “I’m fine, otherwise my mom wouldn’t even let me come to school today.” Katsuki’s scoff is ignored. “Sato-sensei says that I can make it if I keep practicing;  _ if only my quirk would calm down.” _ He says that last sentence bitterly.

Katsuki ignores the fact that the green-haired boy commented about his quirk. He also ignored the fact that he somehow knew exactly what the blond was about to talk about before he even said anything.

\-----

Izuku woke up at four and immediately started sobbing into his pillow, not stopping until his mother called him for breakfast. He made his way to the bathroom quickly, washing away all traces of his tears. Coming home to a concerned mother, having an emotional talk, only to wake up and be the only person who remembered… It hurt enough the first time, he didn’t want a second.

\-----

Izuku stared impassively at the street. The first time he’d lived through this day he’d saved All Might from Power’s attacks by declaring a race. Now all he sees when looking at the asphalt are the people walking through Musutafu, fully ignorant to the curse that Time has placed on Izuku and Kero.

Izuku stares wistfully down the road, barely able to make out the impressively large campus that is UA. “It’s too bad Power isn’t here to make things a bit more interesting,” the boy says randomly, but Kero fully agrees with the sentiment.

“Yeah. Getting to relive one day gets boring after the first three times. With Power, we could vary it up a little, make it exciting.”

The two sighed heavily as they turned to the Quirk-War Memorial. Both already resigned to be rewound, but not without a fight.  _ Never _ without a fight.

\-----

“Katsuki,” Izuku says suddenly. It startles the blond from grabbing his lunch. The shorter teen decided--after thirteen resets--to pick someone’s brain. Kero was still staying at home, trying to remember how Sakura originally captured Time. He held up his lunch box, “Eat with me?”

The two boys sit at Izuku’s regular table beside the fields. The green-haired boy ignores the game in its entirety, already knowing that the red team wins by two in the end. “Fuck you want?”

Izuku makes a face at the onigiri in his bento, already sick of the taste. He takes a peek at Katsuki’s lunch and sees more rice; can’t even trade for something good. “I need your help with something to do with my quirk,” he says. He takes a bite, grimacing at the flavor and texture.

Katsuki stalls in his eating, already through three of his five onigiri. “It’s quirk stuff, your fucking specialty.” Smiling at the expletives--because Katsuki is always reliable in his swears--Izuku laughs. The blond scowls.

“I know, pathetic, right?” Izuku ignores Katsuki’s scoff. “The newest aspect that I’m having trouble with is Time.” He lets that sink in, finishing his lunch as quickly as possible just to get over the taste. “You can guess what it does.” He doesn’t elaborate, putting away his lunch as fast as humanly possible.

Katsuki clearly doesn’t believe him, if his growing scowl is anything to go by, so the greenette takes it as his chance to prove it. He pulls out his phone, checking the time. “A forward on the blue team will score from half-field in thirty seconds.” A loud cheer follows his declaration, leaving Katsuki wide-eyed at the guess.

“You were also going to interrupt my lunch by request of auntie; she wanted to make sure I was okay after the festival.” The blond said nothing, so Izuku pressed on; “Your dad was upset I told my mom, who told your parents, that I likely won’t end up participating in the tournament at the end of the year.”

The two were silent, but Izuku still pointed out the red team scoring a minute before they actually did.

“Shit,” the blond says. He packs away his lunch, setting it aside as he levels Izuku with a strange, indecipherable, look. “How many…” He trails off, not really knowing how to ask.

“Today is my thirteenth try.” The silence becomes heavier than before leaving Katsuki with the implication of what Izuku was saying. Green eyes meet red, nearly filling with tears. “I’ve tried everything I can think of, but nothing is  _ working! _ No matter what I do, Time always seems to have the upper hand!” The greenette takes a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m just a little upset.”

“Understatement of the fucking century,” the blond scoffs. “I’ve literally never seen you this upset before you got your quirk.”

“I swear to fuck, I’m not here to be psychoanalyzed, Katsuki.”

“Fine,” he scoffs, ignoring the fact that Izuku just swore at him. The shorter teen learned from auntie Inko to never swear unless you mean it--unlike himself--so if he was swearing out of frustration, something must be really wrong. “Show me your Cards.” 

The green-haired boy complies, laying all twenty Sakura Cards in his possession out on the table. “I can’t use Fly, Dash, Silent, Jump, Float, any of the elemental Cards, Arrow, or Thunder,” he lists off.

“What about the others? Voice, Wood, Bubbles, Storm, Create, Illusion, Move, Sword, Shield or Power?” Katuski asks, sorting the Cards into ‘used’ and ‘not used’ piles. 

“Voice, Wood, and Bubbles aren’t strong enough, nor do they have any practical application,” Izuku says tiredly. “Storm, Power, and Sword are  _ too _ strong and would leave too much damage around. Also, they would alert Time before I can even get close, so no.” Kero almost made him cry when he explained that one. “Create, Illusion, and Move are also in the same vein as the first three.”

  
  


The greenette doesn’t hesitate to let his head fall onto the table loudly. “I’ve got nothing.”

Katsuki slaps his head in a very Katsuki-like manner, getting the distressed middle schooler to look up. “What about this one; you never said.” The card in question was Shield, its chained form reminiscent of Sword but its magic varied in the opposite way; he told as much to the blond. “So if Sword can cut through anything you want, and Shield is the exact opposite in its abilities, then that clearly means it can protect you from anything you want.”

Izuku blinked heavily at the spiky-haired blond boy. “Katsuki,” he says very seriously. Red eyes locked onto his own, then he starts crying; “I’m a fucking dumbass.”

Katsuki scoffs, nonplussed at the crying teen. “I could’ve told you without needing to be asked, dumbass. Seriously, how do you miss something so fucking simple?”

Izuku sniffled, wiping away tears with practiced ease. “Kero never really explained, and I thought it was just… ya know,  _ physical _ things it protected against. Not  _ time _ , a force of nature.”

\-----

The Cardcaptor and the beast of the seal were leaning heavily against the clock tower. Thirteen resets. Thirteen times that Izuku and Kero had to relive the same day without reprieve or deviation; thirteen times that Time fucked Izuku over. 

Well, fourteen; Izuku let himself be reset one last time on purpose so that everything could play out as it was supposed to be.  _ Minus _ the All Might fight and subsequent meeting with Nedzu; which is a good thing because having the police force chasing after a vigilante that doesn’t even exist doesn’t sit right with the teenaged Cardcaptor.

“I can finally get further into my game,” Kero sighed, already pulling out Izuku’s phone. They had made the decision to go after Time right after school, using Dash to arrive as quickly as possible and get everything cleared up before it got too late. Old-new day, old-new decisions to make and all that jazz, or so Kero said.

“I can finally stop having onigiri in my lunches! Finally some variety!” He sees that Kero has taken his phone for a call. “Why do you have my phone?” The lion plush winces in sympathy, and at the fact he wanted Izuku to take care of Time as soon as possible for a reason other than what he said before.

“Well, you know how Time makes my memories fuzzy?” Green hair bobs from the nod. “It’s not just because it’s under the Moon, but also because it’s dangerously special.” 

“What do you mean, Kero?” 

“Since it reverses time itself, and magic is a semi-fundamental force of the universe-”

“- _ what? _ -”

“-all the spells that you use are not... _ removed _ in their entirety and instead just… pushed...back?” Kero rubbed the back of his head at the intense stare that Izuku was leveling at him.

The golden guardian could see the exact moment the connection was made, what with Izuku’s eyes widening comically. “You mean- every Card I’ve used during every past iteration of Time is about to hit me all at  _ once?!” _

“Yeah,” he says softly, completely ready for when the greenette’s eyes roll back into his head before the guardian even finished his one word. Waving down a hero-- _ ‘Izuku called this one… Pinball, right?’ _ \--he got Izuku situated on one of the many benches surrounding the memorial. 

With that out of the way, he dialed Inko’s phone, already thinking of a way to explain  _ this one _ to the mother.

\-----

Inko sighed when she saw the caller ID pop up as her son. “Izuku? Or is it Kero this time?”

An embarrassed laugh came from the other line. “Kero.”

The short nurse pinched her eyebrows; she’d just gotten off shift, too. She hadn’t even made it to her car this time. “Where are you two? Hopefully somewhere safe?”

“Yeah, yeah; no, we’re at the Quirk-War Memorial Clock Tower in the center of town? Yeah, and I got help from a patrolling hero to move Izuku to a bench. We’re safe.”

Inko sighed, turning the ignition and beginning the drive. “I’ll be there in a few, probably five minutes, okay?” She receives an affirmative. “How long do you think he’ll be out? He’s been waking up sooner and sooner after every time, and the last one was only an hour compared to the first time’s four.”

“Oh.” Kero goes quiet for a minute and Inko is about to question him again when the lion plush speaks up. “Probably… a day?” The mother gasps quietly. “Could be two?”

_ “Keroberos, what were you two  _ doing?” She demands.

“I-It would be easier to explain after we’ve gotten home. It’s nothing bad. I swear!” Inko pushes down the rising panic-anger. “It’s just a bit confusing, and it’ll be better to explain in person.”

“You better,” she says, tone promising no escape for Kero. “I’m almost there; which side are you on so I can park closer?”

\-----

Something soft brushed against his nose, irritating it. Trying to lift an arm to brush the offending thing away revealed that something was also restricting his limbs, even his legs.

Izuku squinted at the bright light from the window as he opened his eyes. Looking at his nose found himself staring at...something purple? It was furry, had a heartbeat, and was breathing. And was purple. Izuku closed his eyes and groaned.

Something shifted in the room which had green eyes trying to find the source. The novice magic user found himself face to face with a concerned Kero. The two stared at one another. 

“Uh...hi?”

“He’s awake!”

\-----

A hand lightly petted itself down Dash’s back, the animal-form purring heavily, vibrating Izuku’s lap as he continued his ministrations. “So let me get this right,” the greenette starts. “I’ve been asleep for five hours, but you thought I was gonna be out for at least a day, so Dash-” they mewled happily “-Jump-” the rabbit-form nuzzled his side affectionately “-and Fly-” the bird-form chirruped, flapping its wings “-came out to lay with me because they were worried.”

“Yeah,” Kero answers. He’s currently perched on Izuku’s head, just laying amongst the green curls. “It was honestly really cute, watching them cuddle up to you. You know, Thunder almost joined in until I reminded him that you aren’t shock-proof.”

Izuku looked at the open Sakura Book. “You guys are so sweet, honestly.”

\-----

“What’s on the agenda now that you’re awake again?” Kero flew next to Izuku’s head. Dash and Jump were content sitting by Izuku’s feet, even as Fly perched on his head. It was only eight right now, and Inko had stepped out for a moment to do a bit of shopping--as she has for the past two weeks.

“I was thinking I might make Katsuki something as a thank you, you know, for helping us out with Time?”

The traitorous card was sitting in the Sakura Book; the old woman in a hooded robe holding an hourglass sitting at the top of the deck, even though Izuku almost flew into a blind rage when he saw the card.

Kero tilted his head in confusion. “But he doesn’t even remember what happened? And he’s such a tool most of the time? He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Because, Kero,  _ I _ would know that I never thanked him,” Izuku says seriously. “Besides, he’s coming around--if in a widely convoluted and roundabout way.” Kero didn’t really say anything after that, but he didn’t object anymore either, so that’s a plus.

So the three cards enjoy a bit of baking the most obnoxious and totally Katsuki-themed swiss rolls as a gift. Occasionally, one of the cards would demand attention, so of course, the baking was delayed just for ‘playtime’.

By the time the three cakes are ready to be baked, it’s almost time for Inko to return from the store.

“Now we just set these bad boys in here for about fifteen minutes, let them cool for a bit, and then decorate!” The Dash and Fly let out ‘cheers’ while Jump made a noise that sounded significantly like a spring sound-effect from cartoons. Izuku laughed, making sure to pat Jump’s head before a vicious game of tag was started.

\-----

  
Sweet flew into the kitchen with a smile, ready to bring the _ sweet _ into this home. Holding out her little wand, the konpeito-covered Card started to affect the cakes. That is, until a sphere of water formed around her, effectively trapping the card within. 

“Nice one, Watery!” Izuku rounded the corner, smiling at his newest capture. “I could feel you coming for some reason, so I set a trap with Watery--since, you know, sugar dissolves in water and all that jazz.”

He looked at the oven, seeing the timer about halfway done. “Well, seeing as I don’t need anything sweetened to a ridiculous degree, I’m going to catch you now.”

Honestly, how did Sweet ever think she had a chance? If only she  _ hadn’t _ come the day after Izuku broke free of Time’s terrible game, then maybe he would have been a bit nicer.

\-----

  
Kero and Inko were sitting together on the couch; the mother was staring blankly at the wall even as she drank from her mug, Kero doing much the same beside her.

“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you and Izuku had to spend  _ two weeks _ reliving the same day, over and over again,” Inko said solemnly. They were safe to discuss this without fear of Izuku hearing and derailing with reassurances, seeing as he was currently cleaning his room. “I can’t even begin to think about how that might have affected the both of you…”

“Since I’m...part of the quirk itself I won’t have to worry about any lingering problems. Izuku… you might have to watch out for a few weeks. He’s human, and the time aspect just developed, so he wasn’t fully prepared for that much at once.”

Inko opened her mouth to ask just  _ what _ she needed to watch out for when the person under discussion came running in, Dash, Jump, and Fly rushing after him. “Guys! You’ll never believe what just happened!”

The two seated on the couch quickly schooled their expressions to ones more relaxed and happy, careful not to allude to their previous conversation. “What was it, Izuku?” Inko asked.

“So! I was cleaning my room, yeah? And when I was getting to reorganizing all of my books, I found  _ this _ -” He held out a Sakura Card “-between some of them!” The Card presented was The Mist, her form looking to be a mix of both Windy and Watery; her long hair dissolved into mist the further down it went as she held her hands over her heart. A large star was above her arms as a blue-green comma-like shape crested her forehead and collar.

“Honestly, I think it’s really nice of my quirk to just hand itself in after having the kind of day I have!” The boy said cheerfully. “First Sweet comes in and barely gives me any trouble, and then I just  _ find _ Mist! Now we have six of the nine Cards we for sure know about! After we get Maze and Cloud, then we start going in blind!”

The greenette says this as though he hasn’t been going in blind for the past twenty-three Card captures. Inko and Kero share a silent look, a smile, before jumping slightly when Izuku yells suddenly.

“I just remembered! I need to get my cakes to Katsuki before he goes to bed!”

\-----

“Shut up! I’m fucking coming!” Katsuki’s yell was heard clearly throughout the whole of the Bakugou household. Mitsuki scowled slightly into her tea and Masaru looked up from his tablet, both disgruntled that their son was still answering the door like that.

Nearly bursting a vein at the incessant knocking at  _ eight at night--who the fuck visits at eight _ \-- the blond teen angrily swung open the door, an aborted “What the fuck is your problem” on his lips.

It was Izuku in all his energetic, green-haired glory, and he was currently holding a cake box out. For him.

“Hey, Katsuki!” Izuku greeted cheerfully, ignoring all the yelling that happened just prior to the door’s opening. He extended the box further in Katsuki’s space, forcing him to grab it. “I wanted to say ‘thank you’ for the advice, and what better way to do that than with sweets?”

“Is that Izu-kun?” Mitsuki says from the table. Katsuki doesn’t answer her, giving Izuku a suspicious look.

“Yeah,” the blond supplies blankly.  _ ‘Why was he here? A ‘thank you’ gift? Thank you for what; what advice?’ _ Of course, the socially-emotionally constipated teen didn’t voice the questions, just stepped aside for his mother to drag the greenette into the home.

Katsuki ignored the conversation going on between his  _ not _ -friend and parents, curious to see what Izuku… was thanking him with. Pulling off the lid carefully, Katsuki was met with the sight of three swiss rolls; one was obviously chocolate, and decorated with a grenade pattern, the middle one was strawberries and cream with explosion patterns made of strawberry, and the last was plain vanilla, stripes of orange, green and black going across the roll.

This was….  _ Odd _ . The blond squinted at the green-haired boy. Izuku noticed after a minute of being watched, smiling brightly and waving at him in response. Confused, he asked the prevalent question on his mind: “What the  _ fuck _ are you thanking  _ me _ for?”

“Quit it, brat,” Mitsuki said quickly, a light swat hitting the teen’s head. “He’s being nice, can’t you see?”

“Ah, no, Auntie Mitsuki, it’s okay!” Izuku reassured, bringing the attention back to himself. “My quirk was acting up again and Katsuki was the one to help me solve the problem. I made his fav-” Izuku gasped loudly in response to something he’d just realized. “They’re not your favorite anymore, are they?!” The greenette devolved into muttering; Katsuki straining his ears to hear: “I  _ knew _ I should have confirmed before setting everything right!" The teen turned to the side, clenching a fist tightly; "Kero, I’m coming for you.”

\-----

In Izuku’s room, Kero sat playing a fighting game that Inko had gotten him, using his new Kero-sized controller to perform excellent combos.

At least, he  _ would be _ if it weren’t for the fact that he sneezed multiple times in a row, bringing his defeat at the hands of a CPU.

\-----

“What?” The blond asked--more like demanded. The nerd was implying something that wasn’t painting a good picture in Katsuki’s mind.

“What?” Green eyes blinked innocently. He shrugged. “Eh. Anyway, you gotta tell me how they taste tomorrow at school!” He smiled brightly again, but that left the trio of Bakugous confused.

“Izu-kun,” Masaru said suddenly, gaining the attention of the short teen. “Tomorrow is a day off.” Green eyes blinked, still smiling. “You don’t have school?” He tries again.

The Bakugous watch as understanding dawns on the boy. “Oh… Right, sorry,” Izuku says with a small smile.

“It’s been a  _ long _ day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of chapter 9! I /really/ had a fun *time* writing this chapter if you can't tell. You probably can. Eh, oh well.
> 
> One thing I would like to mention right here and now before I get comments on it; I know Izuku is smart. I /love/ smart Izuku, and he's literally only beaten out of the top spot by Katsuki at Orudera. Listen, he's smart, but he's also human and will not be perfect at catching /every/ Card. Sometimes he will struggle.  
> In all actuality, I wanted this chapter to show that Izuku gets frazzled and can make mistakes; he's repeated the same day 13 times, trying and failing with the cards. Of course he's not going to think Shield can protect him from the /flow of time itself/. Kero didn't even tell him its abilities, so it's a normal assumption. Don't blast me for this. Also, it's because Sakura and Kero didn't know unti Sayoran pointed it out. 
> 
> Katsuki and Izuku's not-friendship-sorta is growing! It's not going to be resolved for a while, but they can now hold a conversation without getting too mad at one another [or 14 :)]!
> 
> The reasoning for The Power and his "knock-out time" will be addressed later! I promise, but it's spoilery so not now!
> 
> Something fun to know:  
> The Time Card, when the official Clow Card art was released by CLAMP, was depicted to be an older woman with long hair, a cloak, and an hourglass. In the anime, the animators likely mistook her hair for a beard, likely concluding the cards was male due to "father time" or "grandfather clock" being popular things.
> 
> The whole "montage" of Izuku's conversations and days repeated came to me in a fever dream inspired by Sad Epic Emotional Music - Farewell Life. I'm sorry, but at the same time, not sorry at all because it needed to happen. Izuku is /not/ coming out of this unscathed, but most of the times will happen "off-screen", so it won't really be "addressed" until UA.
> 
> Which, btw, happens NEXT CHAPTER!!! *classic celebration noises going off in the background*
> 
> Anyway, that's it for this time! I'll see you--likely--around the 6th. Until then!
> 
> Bye!


	10. Izuku's Starting Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time. The grueling months of training, studying, and Card-capturing all add up to this final moment.
> 
> The UA entrance exam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, what's up! It's me, back again with more Cardcaptor Izuku!
> 
> I know I said to expect it on the 6th, but I wanted to wait a bit more so I could put more hours into editing and adding/subtracting scenes. Also, this will get me back on a "regular" schedule if I plan updates on Mondays/Tuesdays.
> 
> If this chapter feels stilted or the words just aren't flowing... I apologize. I made a calculated decision to listen to mxmtoon's The Masquerade, and /man/ and I bad at math! (In all realness, though, I'm sorry that this chapter starts off with /angst/. There are mentions of depression and discussions about the quirkless and past su*c*dal ideation... I'm so sorry. I tried writing it so many times so it wasn't nearly as depressing as before, but I really needed a scene to describe Izuku's past a bit more, and this just- appeared.
> 
> ***The potentially triggering/problematic scene is literally the very beginning section, so if you want/need to skip it just go down to the first break. You won't be missing much, other than a discussion of growth and progress, and Izuku getting comforted by Kero and the Cards. (I put the description right here because it's the /very/ beginning, but tell me if this setup just- doesn't vibe with you.
> 
> Okay! Backing away from my unexpected angst that hits you like a sucker punch from around the corner, we have the exam itself! I wanted to incorporate a lot of things that I like, and some of your ideas in the comments, so I really hope I did them justice! In reality, though, the exam itself was tough! I had a full, day-long debate with myself if I should adhere to canon as much as possible, or just...wing it? (My first plan was to base the entrance exam off other fanfics, because let's be honest, after reading 300+ BNHA works, do you even need to review for the earlier episodes?) In the end, I kinda mashed them together, sprinkling in things that I wanted to see/write...IDK if that makes sense, but oh well!
> 
> Hmm... one more thing before we start the chapter! I recently re-fell in love with Houseki No Kuni--The Land of the Lustrous--and let me tell you: The opening is so great! (I also read up on the chapters that have been released since the anime came out... That's a whole can of worms right there... Whatever!) [I've listened to the opening on repeat for the last four days. Send help.]
> 
> (One more thing, sorry...) I just recently got a new computer! Updates will still come on the same once-a-week schedule, but I now have longer to work on them without being shoved off due to at-home work hours! It's great and I love the RGB so much. I have Pokemon stuff inside the case, Battle Deku Funko Pop standing on the top, and Cardcaptor Sakura stickers are going on the outside! I already have my Keroberos keyboard mat, and my Clow and Sakura magic circle mousepads will be coming in soon! I'm so happy! (Not to mention, volume 7 of the CCS CE will come out in ONE WEEK AND A DAY!!!!! I'm so excited!!!
> 
> Okay. Back on topic. I'm calm.
> 
> Here's chapter 10 of Cardcaptor Izuku, /19/ pages--/6,570/ words--of our favorite magical duo!!! 
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Taking a deep breath of clean air, Izuku smiled out at the cleared sands of Takoba Beach park; the sun was rising slowly over the chilly waves, spreading a warm glow over the scene.

“It took nearly the entire year, but I’m finally done.” Green eyes scanned the horizon, finding the entirety of the three-kilometer beach to be clean, no longer covered in cubic meters of garbage and illegally discarded appliances and cars.

Walking along the pier were a few paired off people; the greenette smiled happily at the view, glad that people have already begun to explore the reclaimed beach. They’d been seeing a few visitors a few times in the past since the beach was getting cleaner, but they’d just finished loading the last of the smaller bits in the city-provided dumpster an hour or so ago.

“Maybe,” Kero said, “but even if it took a while, you did it.” Izuku turned to his hovering companion in confusion. “The first time I’d ever been here it was a mess, but now it’s perfectly clean and we already have people enjoying the views!”

The Midoriya boy teared up a little at his companion’s words. “Thanks,” he choked out. “That’s a great way to put it...” he trailed off, his smile gaining a melancholic edge even as he continued to look out at the sunrise. He wiped a stray tear away as it fell down his face.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Kero followed Izuku to the ground, sitting on the blanket they’d brought, right beside the Cardcaptor.

Izuku hesitated, looking away before taking a deep breath. “...I started this because I wanted to make a difference,” the boy said softly. “I was so afraid… So afraid that I would just-  _ be here _ , and not even leave any mark on anyone before-” His breath caught, stopping him from finishing the sentence.

The two sat in silence, watching the sky brighten further; as the sun got higher the sky lost its orange glow, deepening into a blue.

Izuku lay back onto the blanket, the soft fabric feeling nice under him. “Quirkless people don’t really have a lot to live for,” he said unprompted and Kero froze at the implication, but said nothing. “When I entered middle school I was in a really bad mental state, thinking things like ‘If I can’t even get people to acknowledge me while I’m alive, what would it matter if I died?’” He sighed deeply, an arm covering his face.

“Then my mom figured it out --even if she didn’t know why--and had me go to therapy for a bit. I was told: ‘If you can’t get people to acknowledge you and what you do, make them. Force them to see you and what you do in such a way it’s irrefutable and unavoidable.’ That’s when I found this place and decided that if I could clear this place up, I would have made a difference big enough to have been seen by others.”

Kero walked over to Izuku’s head, pressing against green curls in reassurance. “And you  _ did _ . It was tough and hard, and you probably felt like you weren’t getting anywhere looking at the big piles of garbage--but you  _ did it _ .  _ You _ and no one else.”

The greenette sniffled quietly, rubbing the back of his arm to his eyes. Getting up slowly, watery green eyes opened to find Kero tearing up. “I did, didn’t I?” He laughed, smiling through the new, happier tears that fell down his cheeks. He wiped them hastily, grabbing Kero as he got up, spinning in circles.

“I didn’t mean to bring the mood down, sorry,” he said as soon as he stopped spinning. “I was just really happy, and what you said reminded me how far I’ve come.” Izuku separated from the golden guardian, smiling wide; “I’m glad I’ve met you, Keroberos.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way, Izuku,” Kero said emphatically, flying to land on his Cardcaptor’s head. “I think they agree with me, too,” the lion plush pointed to the holster that sat at Izuku’s hip.

The stack of Sakura Cards began glowing at the attention, floating from their place to surround their new master. Izuku laughed lightly at their silent reassurance, smiling brightly as each of his Cards made sure to hover around him.

Jump, Dash, and Fly summoned themselves from their cards. They wanted to comfort Izuku and their true forms were just better at doing that. So, they pounced on the green-haired boy from all angles. “You guys don’t need to worry,” Izuku said “I would never trade any of you for anything.”

\-----

“Izuku, you’re going to be late to the exam if you wait any longer!”

The greenette was currently lying face-down on the couch, head nearly fully sunken into the cushions. “I know,” He said, but it’s muffled, and even still he makes no effort to get up.

“Midoriya Izuku, you better get up this instant!” Inko yells, but not unkindly. “I will not have you waste all the hard work that you’ve spent  _ years _ building up, just to not even  _ attempt _ the exam!” She uses her quirk to pull at Izuku’s middle school uniform, forcing the boy to stand. She thrusts his duffle bag filled with a set of gym clothes and his book bag with supplies at him.

She levelless him with a glare, forcing Izuku to freeze at the intensity. “You will go to UA, take their exam, and come home telling me that you’ve done your absolute best. I  _ know _ you will succeed, so the only thing left to do is  _ prove it _ .”

Izuku nods rapidly, tearing up slightly at the conviction his mother is showing, her absolute certainty in his success. “Of course!” He swiftly puts on the two bags, exiting the apartment with a rushed “I love you!” and a smiling Kero.

As the silence overtakes the apartment, Inko begins to cry. Her son has grown so much, and in so little time, too. _ ‘In no time at all he’s going to, one day, walk out that door and leave me.’ _

Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the door hitting the door jam. Looking up suddenly has her finding Izuku, flushed and out of breath. “I almost forgot,” he says softly. Taking his mother in his arms, he gives her the strongest hug he can without injury.  _ “Thank you.” _

“Always,” Inko replies, and she means it. She would do anything for her Izuku, and Izuku would never forget about her. Not even when he’s out saving the world. Never.

\-----

“Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Izuku and Kero were walking from the train platform to UA’s grounds, running right on time to be ready for the exam. His mother might have been saying that he was running late, but that was to be  _ early _ . Now he wouldn’t have the luxury of watching the other UA hopefuls walk into the auditorium, waiting for the exam to start.

Kero floated in front of him, keeping pace so they continued forward. “Hey, remember: you have all of us behind you.” green curls bounced as he nodded. “Besides, you’re already plenty heroic, helping all the Sakura Cards and saving the world from Spike-Ball’s horrid personality.”

“Kero!” Izuku said lacking any heat. Indeed, Katsuki was beginning to be just the kind of person that Izuku always knew he could become: a hero and symbol of victory. He shook his head, laughing; “While it may be true, you shouldn’t be rude.”

“Eh.” Kero shrugged, smiling. “Maybe once he stops deserving it, but anyway, we’re here!” They were indeed there. The Cardcaptor gasped at the sight of UA’s gate, slightly in awe at the fact that he was finally setting foot on the grounds of the prestigious hero school.

“Don’t go catching flies, Izuku,” Kero admonishes. “Plus, you’ve already been here once before; you’d think this was a temple or something with how you’re acting.” The green-haired boy blushes brightly, glaring slightly at his companion.

“That time doesn’t count--literally,” the boy retorts, stepping purposely past the gate. “Besides, this is the place where most of the greatest heroes studied here; how can I  _ not _ be excited?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“Oh, look! It’s the sign-in table!” Izuku points out. “We better not be late for the test,” he says, grabbing tightly to Kero’s paw, ignoring his companion’s protests even as he struggles against his grip.

\-----

  
“That was so mean,” Kero said to the greenette. The boy just shrugged, finding his seat in the large auditorium. The pair moved their way up the rows, finding themselves in the middle of the room. Izuku was finding his seat number when Kero’s groan got his attention. “Are you kidding me? We have to sit next to  _ him? _ ”

There, six seats into the row--right next to Izuku’s assigned seventh seat--was Katsuki, his signature scowl already focused on the lion plush. “Oh, hey, Katsuki,” the teen greeted with a smile. “I can’t believe that we’re sitting next to one another!”

“Yay,” Kero intones sarcastically.

“Ignore him.”

Katsuki scoffs. “Oh, trust me, I planned on it.” Izuku laughs at the comment but makes sure to grab Kero by the fur of his neck to keep him from causing bodily harm to the blond. “And why are you so happy about this, anyway? It’s a test, not a game.”

“Well, I mean, if I weren’t consciously trying to be happy right now then I think I’d die from the nerves alone!” Izuku shakes his head with a laugh, pulling out his pencil and eraser; “Do you think you’re ready for this?” The greenette knows Katsuki, so he knows that the blond’s response will be cocksure and over the top, exactly what he needs to get a boost of confidence.

“Damn straight I’m ready! I’m here to win, and nothing’s fuckin’ stopping me!” Katsuki’s grin is nearly feral, but it’s a controlled feral and completely unlike his grins from the beginning of the year. It makes Izuku smile wide at how far his not-friend has gone. “The fuck you...smiling...about…” The blond trails off slowly as his eyelids fight to stay open but eventually, he gives in, falling asleep with his head on the table.

“Katsuki? Katsuki, you okay?” Izuku tries to shake the blond awake, growing more frantic as it’s ineffective. “Kero, Katsuki-”

“Yeah, and everyone else, too.” Kero’s flying form circles above the Cardcaptor, slowly finding that everyone has passed out at once. “It’s a Sakura Card--Sleep.”

“Damn, and just before the exam, too,” Izuku says, and in a flash of golden light, he stands with the sealing staff in his grip. “Where do you think it is? Because I didn’t even notice anything before this happened.”

Kero shakes his head as he floats next to Izuku. “I don’t know, but what I  _ do _ know is that Sleep is likely causing the entire campus to be under her spell.” The pair of magic-users quickly make their way out of the auditorium, finding slumped test-takers and proctors in the hallways. “Try sensing for the Card, otherwise she might get away and affect others,” Kero calls as they run.

Nodding silently, Izuku closed his eyes. The novice magic user let his senses spread out around him, willing his magic to find- “Found her!” Without any other warning, the green-haired boy began sprinting for the stairwell, running up two flights before turning the corner, stopping right before a ventilation access point.

Kero and Izuku spend a few tense moments waiting for Sleep to show herself, almost turning to look somewhere else, before her pixie-esque form flies from the vent. She was small, wearing a periwinkle bodysuit and trailing dust from her form as she flew. “Don’t let her escape!”

_ “Windy, cage Sleep within you!” _ In a flash Windy’s elegant form emerged from her Card; swirling around the small pixie, Windy completely encapsulated her, forming a sphere of rapidly moving air.  _ “Return to the guise you were meant to be; Sakura Card!” _ Izuku shouted the sealing phrase, summoning the blank Card. He watched as Sleep closed her eyes, turning to ribbons before being absorbed into her Sakura Card.

“Yeah! Nice one and it didn’t even take that long,” Kero yelled in triumph, to which Izuku agreed happily.

The Sleep depicted the pixie form of Sleep; her left ear was overly large and feathered while the right was not, but both had stars for earrings. Her forehead was adorned with a six-pointed star and two mirrored crescents on either side, while her chest held a five-pointed star. In her hand was a wand with a crescent moon at the end, the entire thing seeming to trail dust.

“She looks so sweet, but then she almost sabotaged thousands of kids trying for UA this year,” Izuku said in thought.  _ ‘Wait…’ _

In unison, both magic users remembered the entrance exam, shouting “The exam!” Together they ran back to the ground floor, hastily making their way through the just-waking exam-goers to reach their assigned auditorium.

\-----

Izuku was seated next to a grumbling Katsuki right before the physical portion of the entrance exam was set to begin. Like almost all of the people in attendance, Katuski was complaining about suddenly finding himself waking up with his face against the table. Izuku tuned him out, paying attention to the podium and screen to be ready for anything.

“Thanks for tuning in today, little listeners-”  _ ‘No way!’ _ “-Let me hear you make some noise!”  _ ‘It’s Present Mic!’ _

With a speed that is usually only found amongst the speed-quirked citizens, Izuku activated The Voice, amplifying his own much like Present Mic’s quirk does.  _ “Yeah!” _

Following his enthusiastic shout is silence befitting the vacuum of space. The other examinees around him were glaring slightly, others grumbling at his lack of decorum for a place like UA. None of those reactions mattered as the Voice Hero himself cheered at his shout.

“Yes!  _ That is what I’m talking about!” _ The hero struck a pose before continuing; “For all those in attendance today, you will be participating in ten-minute mock cityscape maneuvers! Your goal during these ten minutes is to battle against UA’s faux villains, racking up points before the time limit is over; you may use anything you need including your quirk, but if you attack a fellow examinee it’s over. Dunzo.  _ Disqualification! _

“The faux villains that you will be facing are classified into three distinct groups! First up are the one-pointers; these are the weakest and smallest of the robots, they are also plentiful, but if you get tunnel vision your score will be too low! Next are the two-pointers; larger and sturdier than their counterpart, these have better mobility and can prove to be quite a challenge to the unsuspecting! Lastly, we have the three-pointers; the largest and strongest of the villains, so be wary and be careful going against them!”

The screen behind the hero came to life then, an image of a city surrounded by silhouettes of the three robots he just described and their point values. It isn’t hard to see how they could each pose a challenge to everyone, but people with particularly flashy and destructive quirks were at the clear advantage--Izuku glanced at Katsuki and found the blond to be smirking.

“Now that the robots are out of the way-” Present Mic was interrupted in his segue by a loud voice coming from the back, a spotlight already centered on the one yelling.

“Excuse me! According to the pamphlet passed out at the end of the written exam, there are not three, but  _ four _ faux villains!” The boy yelling the “question” was tall and...geometric. “If this is a misprint then that is certainly unbecoming of such an institution as UA!” 

“Man,” Kero said softly, “he sure doesn’t pull any punches.” Izuku and Kero share a quiet laugh at that before they gain the ire of the examinee.

“And you there!” The boy points at Izuku and a second spotlight appears over the greenette. “Your interruptions are quite disruptive and your stuffed animal is distracting to other examiners; put it away, please!”

“Who the hell do you think-!” Kero was silenced by Izuku’s hand; the greenette giving the geometric boy an apologetic look. Thankfully the Voice Hero came to their rescue not even a moment later.

“Thank you for that, examinee seventy-one-eleven, but please leave the competition to the exam!” The hero pressed a button on a remote that no one noticed. On the screen, a fourth silhouette joined the others. “The fourth robot that you pointed out is the zero-pointer, and just like its namesake, it’s worth nothing! There’s only one per arena and they like getting into tight spaces, acting as an obstacle for all of you so it’s best to just run away!”

The geometric boy nods, bowing deeply. “Thank you, and I apologize for the interruption!” When his spotlight turns off Kero mumbles something that sounds distinctly like:  _ But not for the insults! _ But that doesn’t matter because the guardian was still muffled. Small mercies.

“Now that  _ that _ is done, you should look at your pamphlets once more!” The sounds of thousands of teenagers shuffling papers filled the air. “Next to your name should be a letter signifying which arena you will be taking your exam in!”

“Damn, I don’t get to crush you myself.” Izuku looked to Katsuki at his comment, finding that they are in separate areas.

“Likely to discourage people who know each other from working together,” he mused.

“Before I let you all go get ready for the exam, I want to impart some wisdom! The great hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said... 'True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life.'  _ Plus Ultra!  _ Break a leg, everyone!” 

At the final cheer, everyone echoed back the UA motto;  _ “Plus Ultra!” _

\-----

Shinsou Hitoshi is having a rough day. First, he finds that the sun rose without him ever actually falling asleep overnight, then Present Mic announces that they have to attack robots for their heroics exam, and right now he has to deal with a bush asking him if he wanted to sleep.

“I mean, you’re probably thinking that this is a version of sabotage, but I really do just want to help you be the most prepared you can be for the exam,” the bush says, looking at him with ridiculously bright green eyes.  _ ‘Seriously, what is with those things?’ _

“Fine,” Hitoshi says blandly. “The driver said we still have fifteen-minutes before we arrive. If you can get me a nap in that time, I’ll thank you in UA.”

The indigo-haired boy doesn’t even get to process the fact that he’d just witnessed a card turning to a wand between the bush’s fingers before he’s passed out.

Hitoshi will wholeheartedly say to anyone who asks, that his nap before the exam was what got him through to the hero course.

\-----

  
  


Izuku and Kero were waiting with the rest of the Exam Center C testers, stretching purposefully as others do the same around them. “I still think you should use Power the most,” Kero says beside him. “You could just walk up to the robots and, just-  _ One Punch!” _ The young Cardcaptor gave his companion a weird look.

“As fun as that may be, we’re pressed for time; a Sword and Dash combo should be everything we need for this test.” At Kero’s sulking the greenette relented; “But I suppose having fun isn’t against the rules...” He smiled at the lion plush’s cheers and little flailing in the air. It decidedly did not resemble the centuries-old guardian that Keroberos was.

“Ah, you can see some people already getting their quirks ready!” Izuku was about to reply in kind when a strong hand gripped onto his shoulder, stopping him from reaching for the key.

“Excuse me!” A distinct voice called out. The greenette had to suppress a groan just as Kero began glaring over his shoulder.  _ ‘Please, please,  _ please _ , let it be anyone but the geometric boy!’ _ The young Cardcaptor turned around and fought a grimace; whoever rules the world  _ really  _ doesn’t like him, huh?

“Can I help you,” the green-haired boy said politely, using his experience dealing with Orudera to hide his displeasure at being called out again. The geometric boy pushed up his glasses with a flash.

“Yes! It has come to my attention that you and your... _ toy _ are causing a disturbance, distracting our fellow examinees from their preparations!” He opened his mouth like he was to continue, but Kero beat him to the punch, flying directly into the boy’s face.

_ “Yeah? _ Well, all I’m seeing is  _ you _ causing a disturbance with all of your yelling and ignorance of basic societal conventions!” The lion plush ignored the affronted look on the geometry-boy's face, going on to wave his paws around; “What if  _ we _ were preparing for the exam? Huh? Ever think about how you are distracting us from  _ our _ preparations?!”

Izuku grimaced at what Kero was doing; flipping the script and having the geo-- _ ‘Okay, I need a new descriptor for this boy other than _ ‘geometric’, _ ’ _ \--having the  _ blue-haired _ boy realize just how rude  _ he  _ was being.

From his place behind the angry guardian and stickler-for-the-rules, Izuku saw movement in the corner of his eye. A closer look revealed that Present Mic was approaching the edge of an elevated platform.  _ ‘He’s probably about to announce the start of the exam,’ _ the greenette thought. Not wanting to be caught unawares, the Cardcaptor discreetly summoned his staff, already pulling a card from his holster.

\-----

From up on his perch, the hidden Present Mic smiles widely before shouting,  _ “Begin!” _ He smiles widely when he sees a green blur snatch a yellow blur, dashing into the fake city all within a second.  _ ‘Now  _ that’s _ who to watch out for,’ _ he thinks to himself. A glance shows that no one else is taking the initiative. Shame. 

“What are you waiting for?! There’s no countdown in real life; go, go, go!”

\-----

“Kero, I’ll need your help in finding the different bots, okay?” Izuku activates Sword, cleaving a two-pointer in half. “We don’t know the cutoff for getting in, so we need everything we can get!” He sprints with Dash, slicing apart a street-full of one-pointers in his haste to travel farther.

“Got it,” Kero says from his hair, holding tightly to avoid being left behind. “I’m not saying this so you use power, but you should use area of effect Cards instead; you wouldn’t want your bots fighting back or running away, yeah?” The greenette’s nod almost throws Kero off but he hangs on. “Good because you’ve got a group coming from the right!”

Accompanied by the creaking of metal comes a rapidly approaching two-pointer, throwing its tail out in attack. Izuku, seeing the four two-pointers behind it, pulls another card free;  _ “Wood, infest their joints and break them!” _

“Wait!” But it was too late; Wood emerged from the Card in all her grace, dozens of roots and branches from sprouting bushes streaking towards the robots. In a move that Kero was hoping to avoid, the two-pointers used their mechanical tails to cut through the brush before Wood had the chance to affect them. “Chinese five elements; metal trumps wood!”

“Now you tell me?!” Twin tails swing at Izuku’s head, causing the boy to dash away. “Fine,” he says angrily.  _ “Firey! Burn my enemies!”  _ The fiery angel that is Firey emerged from his Card, summoning a wave of flames that completely melted down the robots in the street, saving Izuku. Of course, just as commanded, Firey continued his burning, melting all the robots within a thirty-meter radius. 

Looking at the carnage, Izuku’s eyes widened with realization. “Fire trumps metal...got it,” he said in awe. “I don’t think it’s safe to use Firey anymore; sorry,” he said to the Card. Firey nods in understanding, flashing a confidant smirk before reverting into a Card once more.

“A-Anyway, we should continue; I hear some more bots a few stress down without any people accompanying them.” Izuku nods, using Dash to swiftly make his way around. “You should probably stick to Sword for fast attacks, but Watery to deal with groups; Chinese five-”

“Water trumps metal; I got it,” the boy says calmly, moving between the clustered two and one-pointers, slicing them apart. “Do you think Sword or even Shield would count as ‘metal’ in the five-element system? I don’t think Clow Reed would have used that system and just- ignore an entire element while using the others.”

Kero flew up high after dodging a one-pointer’s punch; “I don’t think that’s an issue right now.”

“Fair.” And so they continued, heeding Present Mic’s calling of six minutes remaining.

\-----

Aizawa Shouta stares at the wall of screens as the exam is underway, watching impassively as the scores begin to rise rapidly. One particular screen shows examinee twenty-two-seventeen, Shinsou Hitoshi, using rubble from previous attacks to take down the bots with relative ease. He looks away after Shinsou helps another examinee with a swarming problem.

He’s just watched the kid who interrupted the orientation kick through a two-pointer’s head when he sees something that catches his eye. On the screen was displayed examinee twenty-two-ten, Midoriya Izuku, and his quirk companion staring down a three-pointer.

The kid seems to want to deal with the robot by using his sword, but movement from his companion and a shaken head have the boy pulling out a card, glowing, and then punching the robot to oblivion with one hit. He scoffs imperceptibly before continuing on his search for potential students.

\-----

  
“How many does that make, Kero?” Izuku was panting slightly as he climbed over the three-pointer’s corpse. He ignores the other three bodies behind him, walking out to the main street to look for more faux villains.

Kero sweatdropped. “Am I supposed to be counting?” A loud groan comes from the teen, but whether it’s from Kero’s question or the upcoming three-pointers, the world will never know.

\-----

“I do believe that it’s time,” the animal principle of UA says cheerfully. All the heroes in the observation tower lean in a bit, eager to see the kids’ true colors under stress.

With a deceptively quiet  _ click, _ the yakuri switch is pressed. Every one of the exam screens is filled with dust and smoke as the behemoth forms of the zero-pointers are released, descending upon the hero-hopefuls like an angel of death.

Nedzu’s cackling from his chair is pointedly ignored.

\-----

_ “What the heck is that?!” _

Kero shared his companion’s sentiment. They stare down the gigantic metallic monstrosity that is the eight-eyed zero-pointer as it emerges from its underground bunker. It was easily taller than the fake office buildings surrounding the area, and it was currently heading right in their direction.

“Izuku, I know it’s worth no points, but it’s headed right for us and it’s a giant robot.”

Izuku shakes his head, already turning away from the beast. “No. No way; that thing’s ridiculous.” They watch as it continues its trek towards them--the entrance to the arena specifically--tearing apart the fake structures with ease. Kero watches as one person nearly trips in their panic to run away. That gives him an idea.

“But Izuku, if you don’t beat it, all the other examinees in this arena will be in danger,” he says with faux concern. “Think of how much danger they’re all in, and how much help you’d be just by getting rid of it. Besides, this is a villain attack, you can’t just let-” the lion plush is silenced by a raised hand.

The green-haired boy sighs heavily. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” His tone tells of just how much he didn’t want to; “But you’re right, honestly, about the danger. Hang on.”

\-----

As the crumpled body of the zero-pointer collapses into itself, Kero is smiling widely in Izuku’s hair, a hint of madness in his beady eyes; they are hovering in the air with Fly and the Cardcaptor’s arm is still extended from his Power-powered punch. Despite all that he protested, the greenette is smiling just as much. Explosions accompany their descent, providing a thematic backlight and cinematic effect as they listen to Present announce their test concluded.

Honestly, whoever thought that robots could withstand a teenager, his magical cards, and his chaos-filled companion?

\-----

In Exam Center D a similar situation happens; a certain redheaded boy pummels the zero-pointer to the robot afterlife to rescue a brunette. It isn’t nearly as climactic as the boy falls to his demise due to broken limbs flailing in the air, but they gain some points since he’s saved in the end with a gravity-defying quirk.

\-----

In Exam Center A the body of the zero-pointer is added to the mountain of piled-up robot corpses littering the ground. A certain blond cackles maniacally at the added explosions and shrapnel to his domain.

\-----

A specific hero, Power Loader to be exact, sits in his chair in the observation tower, crying silently as he now has to completely overhaul three zero-pointers before the next school year.

In the background Nedzu sips his tea with a smile, barely containing his want to cackle at the wild display of power and heroic virtue that this year’s heroes have displayed.

\-----

“Honestly, did we have to be so dramatic,” Izuku asked his partner.

“Probably not, but it was fun, no?”

The boy stayed silent, to which Kero laughed at his reluctance to admit he enjoyed the destruction just as much.

\-----

“Midoroiya Izuku, I will not have you sulking this entire week just because of some letter!” Midoriya Inko stared down at her son from across the table. “You’ve been practically lifeless ever since the exam, and I know that it’s stressful, but I just can’t have you lying face down in the couch cushions anymore!”

She pointed her chopsticks at her son, who jumped back at the display of… stern concern? “After you finish your lunch, you’re heading out. What for, I don’t care; you can watch as many heroes as you like, but I’m not letting you stay here,” she said firmly. 

Izuku swallowed thickly and ate just a tad bit slower.

\-----

Hugging his winter coat tightly the Cardcaptor walked slowly down the sidewalk; he kept his head down as to conserve body heat.  _ ‘It’s almost March,’ _ the boy thought bitterly,  _ ‘shouldn’t it be warmer than this?’ _ He kept walking, scowling at the beginnings of a snowfall.

“I thought we were close to  _ Spring _ , not more  _ Winter! _ Honestly,” he scoffed, “It’s like some villain decided to make my day even worse.”

The boy aimed a quick kick to a pebble on the sidewalk, nearly falling when he missed badly. The sound of cracking got his attention, bringing his head out of the folds of the coat to see a monolith of ice just fifty centimeters in front of him.  _ ‘I guess it  _ is _ a villain,’ _ he sweatdropped.

Looking around brought confusion; all around him were people just...frozen in place, completely encased in solid ice. The air brought down more snow, growing from a light powdering to a thick snowstorm.

Ready to get the hell out of dodge, Izuku scanned the area for any indication of the villains so he could run in the opposite direction. Finding no one on the street, he became concerned.  _ ‘Shouldn’t the heroes be here by now?’ _

An odd prickling sensation made the hair on his neck stand tall; trusting his instincts honed from fighting the Sakura Cards, the greenette moved to the right. He didn’t need to look back to know the place he’d just been standing was completely encased.

“I  _ really _ don’t wanna deal with this,” he said, blinking away the snow that was beginning to pile up underfoot. Only a few minutes and it’s already fifteen centimeters deep. Pulling out his key and a Card, Izuku summoned his staff;  _ “Firey, bring melt the snow and ice!” _

Something that was a semi-problem was the fact that the forms of the Card(s) were not present at the moment, but that was quickly rectified when a giant goldfish made of ice appeared alongside a woman wearing a white kimono; they both had crystals embedded into their foreheads.

The two Cards had little chance as Firey raised the temperature of the surrounding street high enough to melt through all of the snow and ice; the young Cardcaptor saw an opportunity when the fish and woman seemed to slow, dripping at the edges as if they were melting as well.

_ “Return to the guise you were meant to be; Sakura Card!” _ The forms of the ice fish and woman rippled before transforming into the Cards that they were meant to inhabit; The Freeze being the fish, and The Snow being the kimono-wearing woman. Izuku pocketed the Cards, as well as Firey, and started on his way home after all the excitement when the flashing lights of a police car came into view.

Izuku groaned.

\-----

“Hey, mom?”

“Yes? What’s wrong.” Inko and Kero were enjoying a nice cup of tea together when Inko’s phone rang with Izuku on the other line.

“Well… I’m at the police precinct again…”

The mother sighed. Of course, on the  _ one day _ that she needed him to be outside for a while, he gets attacked by his quirk and arrested. Perfect.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Tell Tsukauchi I said hello, for me, will you?”

“Sure. See you.”

\-----

“My mom said hello, detective.” 

The man in question sighed heavily from his desk, eyeing the green-haired boy who now occupied his couch. “You know where I keep my deck of cards.”

\-----

“I-Izuku! Izuku, it’s here!” Inko’s yell is heard throughout the apartment, bringing her son sprinting from his bedroom and stopping on a dime before her. Silently, almost reverently, he takes it from her and retreats to his room.

\-----

  
Izuku stared hard at the letter’s golden  _ UA _ insignia with a hint of reverence. Kero, who floated by his shoulder, couldn’t help but think that the boy was taking too long and didn’t hesitate to say so; “Hurry it up, man! Don’t you want to see what you got?”

Startled, the green-haired boy jumped, dropping the letter onto his bed. Taking a deep breath he pulled at the sealed edge, slowly tearing it open as to not damage the enclosed papers. It was an agonizing ten seconds for both magic users, but the tension and anxiety for the results kept them from moving any faster.

“What-?” A small disk the size of the teen’s palm fell from the envelope; they hardly got through their question when it burst to life;

“Greetings, young Midoriya! It is I, All Might, here to deliver your results for the UA entrance exam!” A projected version of All Might said loudly, Kero almost cursing at the sudden increase of volume.

“What would All Might be-”

“You might be wondering what I am doing in your UA letter, but this is because I shall be teaching there this upcoming semester, imparting the newest generation of heroes with my wisdom!” The teen squeaked at the declaration. “With that out of the way, let’s move onto the results!” The tiny All Might gave a thumbs-up, flashing his signature grin.

“The UA entrance exam for heroics is split into two parts! First is the written exam, one which every student of UA must pass! And pass you did! With a grade of ninety-six percent, you have achieved third place out of all examinees for your year! That is amazing; be proud!”

Izuku shivered at the praise All Might gave him. It was All Might. Praising  _ him _ .  _ All Might! _

Kero floated just a bit farther away.

“Now onto the second portion, specifically the heroics exam!” The two perked up at that; they figured they’d ended the exam with, about sixty points, but the cut-off for acceptance was never revealed so they could’ve still not made it. “The teachers observing the exam were thoroughly impressed with your abilities, garnering you a total of sixty-nine Villain Points!”

Kero burst out laughing just as All Might did, but for a completely different reason. “This is amazing! You got a  _ sixty-nine _ on the biggest test of your life!” The greenette gave him an unamused look but turned back when the number one hero addressed him again.

“However! We at UA are not only looking for heroes who can blow stuff up! Please, watch!” All Might pointed to the screen that was behind him, using a remote to turn it on.

[“Izuku, I know it’s worth no points, but it’s headed right for us and it’s a giant robot.”

Izuku shakes his head, already turning away from the beast. “No. No way; that thing’s ridiculous.” They watch as it continues its trek towards them--the entrance to the arena specifically--tearing apart the fake structures with ease. Kero watches as one person nearly trips in their panic to run away. That gives him an idea.

“But Izuku, if you don’t beat it all the other examinees in this arena will be in danger,” he says with faux concern. “Think of how much danger they’re all in, and how much help you’d be just by getting rid of it. Besides, this is a villain attack, you can’t just let-” the lion plush is silenced by a raised hand.

The green-haired boy sighs heavily. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” His tone tells of just how much he didn’t want to; “But you’re right, honestly, about the danger. Hang on.”]

“One of the drones used to track scores caught your conversation after the release of the zero-pointer,” All Might said happily. “You and your partner were quick to address the fact that, while the robot itself was worth no points, it was a danger to those around it, even going so far as to liken it to a real villain attack! For that comparison and your effective take-down of the zero-pointer, the panel of judges awarded you…Rescue Points!” 

The screen changed from its loop of Izuku and Kero’s conversation to a blank scoreboard. With an excessively showy push of the remote, the scoreboard filled with names, scores, and placements.

[Applicant | Villain Points | Hero Points | Total Placement

Bakugou Katsuki:  77 | 23 | 100 | #1

Midoriya Izuku: 69 | 30 | 99 | #2

Kirishima Eijiro: 39 | 50 | 89 | #3

Uraraka Ochako: 28 | 45 | 73 | #4

Shiozaki Ibara: 36 | 32 | 68 | #5

Kendo Itsuka: 25 | 40 | 65 | #6

Iida Tenya: 52 | 9 | 61 | #7

Testsutestu Tetsutetsu: 49 | 10 | 59 | #8

Tokoyami Fumikage: 47 | 10 | 57 | #9

Awase Yosetsu: 50 | 6 | 56 | #10]

  
  


Kero and Izuku’s eyes bugged at their placement and total scores, but All Might was undeterred, continuing despite the metaphorical bomb he just dropped on the pair. 

“For your deliberation and willingness to help save others during an exam the judges have awarded you thirty Rescue Points, raising your total from sixty-nine to a whopping  _ ninety-nine points, _ and earning you an overall  _ second place! _ ” All Might posed with his hand on his hips, smiling wide as he said: “Midoriya Izuku,  _ this _ is your hero academia!”

The two were silent as they stared at the hologram, still reeling at the information they were given. That is, until the disk shut off, leaving them blinking at the now-dark spot in their vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! You made it to the end of the longest chapter so far, congrats!  
> (Honestly, this was a toughie to edit)
> 
> I am honestly so sorry about the angst that I gave you guys. It was not my intention. Just be glad I didn't keep the 1,500-word scene about Izuku worrying about living up to Sakura or Clow, talking with the three elemental Cards he has so far. It was rough. I promise any further angst will be properly pointed to and not just written like how it was now.
> 
> I have been wanting Izuku to "spin" Sleep between his fingers and transforming it into Sleep's wand for /so long/, you don't understand.
> 
> It should be pretty obvious who All Might chose as his successor, huh? I made a little "funny" with all the parallels between Katsukli, Izuku, and Kirishima attacking the zero-pointer. I thought it was clever, so let me know! (Izuku, Shinsou, and Iida are not in the "proper" exam centers, all three of them being in a completely different center just for this AU! Kirishima, rather than be with Katsuki, was with Uraraka, and Katsuki was by himself.)
> 
> Shinsou is in 1-A because his nap let him be rested and prepared. He's not strong, but he's known to be cunning, so he planned around large obstacles and gained rescue points by the many. Of course, that wasn't enough to get him into the top-ten, but likely the top-twenty, of thirty-six. That's not bad.  
> Mineta isn't here because I would never really feel comfortable writing that guy. I know he's not terrible, but...yeah, not touching that topic with a ten-foot pole.
> 
> Hero Point scores allotted to Katsuki, Izuku, and Kirishima: Katsuki only got 23 because of reckless endangerment of others, so..yeah. Izuku only got 30 because I wanted the "69" joke, and he needed to be under Katsuki by 1 point, making him have 99, and the blond 100. Also, the judges saw he had a less-destructive way to do it and such. Kirishima only got 50/60 rescue points because one of the judges on the panel didn't like the fact that he had the ability to save Uraraka without demolishing his body in the process, but did so anyway. So...yeah. Reasons.
> 
> P.S. Thoughts on how the first day should go? Don't suggest Card encounters because that's already covered, but other than that? I'm kinda clueless, to be honest. How much crack do you want? What do you want me to focus on during the first day; the test, afterward, the students, what? Speaking of the test: where do you see Izuku placing? Whatever things you want to be seen--I'll get Bubbles, I /promise/--I will try my best, but for the majority, if the next chapter I'm letting you guys semi-determine what happens. (If you comment an idea the day-of, it'll likely not be added. Fair warning.)  
> A note: Iida and Uraraka, and Todoroki aren't really going to be besties with Izuku in this work. Their relationship will be...funky, but not a crush (Uraraka), thankfulness and semi-obsession (Todoroki), or even just admiration (Iida). It'll be funky.
> 
> So! That's that, I guess! I can't wait to see what you guys thought of this chapter, and what you want for the next! This likely won't happen often, but day one is kind of stumping me, for some reason.
> 
> I'll catch you all next time!
> 
> Bye!


	11. Wow- On the First Day?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku made it. 
> 
> He passed the exams, made it into 1-A of UA's hero course, and is able to finally live out his dream of becoming a hero!
> 
> Now all he has to do is not get expelled on the first day! 
> 
> Wait- what?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's up! It's me, the author, back at it again for more of CCI!
> 
> I know it's a day late, but: Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you guys got enough candy to make your week just a bit sweeter! (Corny, I know, but funny!)
> 
> Well, I wanted to say a formal 'thank you' for all the suggestions you guys commented last chapter, so here it is: Thank you! I really was stumped on the first day, but your guys' ideas gave me enough content for a little while; I'm excited to hear what you think!
> 
> (GUYS! CCS CE's 7th volume English translation is released tomorrow and I can't wait! AAAHHH!)
> 
> Well, I don't really have much more to add for this beginning notes section, so go ahead; 17 pages--5.952 words--of Cardcaptor Izuku ripe for the reading!  
> Enjoy!

“Mom, we have a problem!” Izuku comes barreling in the living room, Kero flying behind him looking just as confused as Inko was sitting on the couch.

“What’s wrong, Izuku? I thought you said you got in,” she asked with growing anxiety. The fear was dismissed when her son nodded quickly, nearly shoving a packet of papers into her face. Looking at them the mother couldn’t help but smile. “You’re worried about your costume designs?”

The hero-to-be nodded again, small tears forming on at the corners of his eyes. “I just don’t know what I want to look like anymore! I used to want to be like All Might, but now that I have my...quirk, I don’t think that fits at all!” The boy threw his hands into the air before collapsing onto the seat beside Inko. “Plus, I don’t think that I could handle having that much spandex on all day…”

The mother laughed, rubbing her hand through Izuku’s curls as she read the form. “Well, it says here that you need at least  _ something _ for the support company to work with.” Kero floated to look over the papers as well, reading everything.

“Okay,” the lion plush began, “I know I’m not exactly the smartest, but isn’t there a really simple way to get this over with?” Two pairs of green eyes blinked at him. “You have a Card that literally lets you change the appearance of anything and a Card that lets you make anything.” They didn’t stop blinking. Kero sighed, “Use Illusion and Create to test different costumes?”

“Oh… Yeah, that might work.”

\-----

“Alright, Illusion,” the greenette said,  _ “display a mannequin with a costume!” _ The card began to glow from the end of the staff, morphing into a perfect, expressionless clone of the Cardcaptor wearing- “What…” Izuku trailed off upon seeing the first option Illusion provided.

The main body of the costume was the white, short, puffed-sleeved dress with a frilled, white skirt and light-pink petticoat. Around the neck is a yellow star brooch hanging from a pink ribbon. A pair of long, white stockings with frills go up the legs, but the right leg stops at the ankle with the left leg reaching the knee, a pair of pink ribbons tied at their respective ends. The shoes look like white ballet-flats with plain, yellow stars decorating the tops.

“Aw, Izuku, I think it looks lovely,” Inko says teasingly, making her son blush. The Illusion smiles at her, doing a little spin to show off a pair of miniature wings that sprout from the back, hidden from the front. “I don’t know how, but I think Illusion got it in one!”

The aforementioned boy was blushing furiously at his mother’s comments, trying to hide his face with his hands. “No, no, no; next, Illusion, please…” Nodding to its master, Illusion rippled, becoming a kaleidoscope before showing the newest outfit.

This outfit was much more streamlined; A long-sleeved blue one-piece with large shoulder padding, ending as a pair of shorts. The main body of the one-piece has its sides lined in white, the space between the white and blue-bordered with gold. A large, golden chest piece in the shape of a pair of wings that has its back extending into two long grey-blue tails with a red circle matching that of the gemstone in the center of the wings is worn with the costume, as well as the blue thigh-high boots with a blue circle near the opening, the opening itself bordered with gold. 

“Hmm… Mind turning for me, Illusion?” The Card smiled while doing so, allowing Izuku to see the back and its tails. The boy turned to his mother, “What do you think? It’s not terrible, but I can’t really see myself wearing this for years…” Inko nodded, so Illusion changed once more. Just before the Card could finish the transition, Kero spoke up.

“Hey, wait! Illusion, you should show them the outfit you gave Izuku when he went against Power!” A sudden...excited ripple went through Illusion, finally ending its change to the suggested costume.

Now that Izuku could see it properly, he could really show the outfit the appreciation it deserved. The long-sleeved pink dress, split at the waist to show the pair of black shorts and thigh-high boots; it was all very tasteful. The little flower motif, black gloves, and matching beret all added together to form a nice costume.

“Wherever Illusion is getting these from, they have nice taste.” Inko nodded, both Midoriyas walking around the beaming Illusion to inspect the costume further.

Kero nodded, folding his arms in a prideful manner. “Of course! Tomoyo-chan was the best at designing costumes!” Izuku nodded, already having heard the guardian talk about Sakura’s eccentric friend. Inko, on the other hand, was confused.

“Tomoyo-chan?” Kero flinched, realizing that Inko doesn’t know anything about how the Sakura Cards are  _ not _ a quirk. Panicked, the lion plush looked to Izuku for help.

“A-Ah, what Kero means is that we’d seen a few designs for an up and coming support company, and Illusion is just extrapolating from them. Kero just really liked them a lot, so that’s why he’s complimenting them so much.” Inko nodded, allowing the two magic users a sigh of relief.

“I’ll have to take your word for it, as I’m not very up to date on support companies, but I do know good quality when I see it.” The mother turned from the pair to Illusion, “Would you mind changing the main color to green? Something like...pearl green? It just needs to be deep.” The Card acquiesced, shimmering for a second before showing all the pink spots having turned a nice, bold green color.

“Ooo~ I like it!” Kero flew around the costume, nodding his head in agreement with Inko’s choice.

“Well, the only way to see if it fits is to have Illusion bring a holster and my staff into the picture to look at it all together.” Izuku nodded to the Card, who brought the sealing staff and Sakura Card holster into existence, spinning the staff expertly in a way that the greenette himself couldn’t yet.

“Oh, it’s wonderful! Izuku, I really think this should be the one!” Kero nodded along with Inko, making the boy smile at them.

“Then we have to decide what to make it out of,” he said. “The main part should probably be something like kevlar, and then it needs to be woven with temperature resistant fabrics to keep me safe from extremes, too… The gloves should be gripped, but soft for civilians during a rescue, and the boots need to let me walk on a variety of different surfaces…”

Izuku mumbled speedily, writing his thoughts into a notebook that he’d brought just for this purpose. Illusion, not dismissed yet, spun in place doing tricks with the staff while Inko and Kero cheered them on.

Almost twenty minutes later and the younger Midoriya finally came out of his mumbling storm, finding Illusion balancing precariously on the sealing staff. Snorting quietly, Izuku picked up the official UA forms, writing everything that he noted as important in his notebook.

\-----

“Okay, we have to be quiet, otherwise we might wake Izuku up.” Inko giggled when Sweet pulled a silly face, saluting to the green-haired mother. Freeze, the floating ice goldfish, “swam” in a circle to show they understood. It was all rather adorable.

“Alright, now let’s get going!”

\-----

“Mom, have you seen-”

Izuku paused at the threshold of the kitchen. On the counter was a pile of ice cream mochi on an ice-covered plate. Sweet was hovering next to it while Freeze made continuous circles, likely keeping the snack fresh. Inko was positioned next to them, giving her son a watery smile.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

Inko shook her head. “It’s nothing. Now,” she said with a growing smile, “what is it that you think you’ve lost? Maybe I can help you find it.”

“Oh, no, I was looking for those two, but I guess you kind of recruited them, huh?” Izuku gave his mother a hug, and gave Sweet and Freeze appreciative taps of their own. Taking one of the frozen treats from the plate, Izuku smiled. “Hey, s’mores! Nice,” he said, popping a few more into his mouth, ignoring the growing feeling of a brain freeze. “Anyway, Kero and I have to get going, mom. I’ll see you after school!”

Inko smiled as her son gathered Sweet and Freeze, taking more of the mochi in a cooling container. Izuku was almost at the door when the mother noticed something odd. “Izuku, where’s Kero? Isn’t he coming with you?”

Her son paused. Heaving a sigh, the younger greenette quickly made his way to his shared room. A minute later had Kero flying sleepily next to his companion. “I’ll see you later, mom,” Izuku said as he gave the woman a hug. 

“Have a great day, Izuku.” The two Midoriyas shared a blinding smile.

“Of course!”

\-----

The green-haired Cardcaptor had to stifle a laugh as he watched Kero hunker down on the mochi as they were riding the train. “You know, if you keep eating like that, we won’t have any left for lunch,” the Cardcaptor said with a sly smile. It got the desired effect when the lion plush jolted, then guiltily put away the few remaining snacks.

The guardian took a moment before moving to lay on the greenette’s bag, making it a spot to take a nap for the duration of the ten minute train ride. It was really adorable, in Izuku’s opinion, but he couldn’t say that, otherwise Kero would go on a triade of how adorable he  _ really _ is.  _ ‘Honestly.’ _

The pair of magic users waited as the train made its way to their station, stopping once or twice along the way. They were two stops before UA’s when Kero cried out in alarm.

“Hey, kid, watch it!” Glancing away from his phone, Izuku found a kid--probably five or six--holding onto Kero’s tail like it was a toy. The kid--who has an apparent gill mutation--didn’t listen to Kero, pulling at the lion plush’s tail once more.  _ “Ow! _ Kid, I’m not a toy!”

Seeing a growing problem, Izuku metaphorically stepped in. “Ah, I’m sorry, but would you mind not doing that? Kero’s not a toy, and even if he was you’d be touching my stuff without permission. So would you mind letting go?” He smiled at the kid. They just pulled again.  _ ‘Alright, time for the big guns.’ _

“Ma’am? Excuse me, ma’am?” He addressed the woman sitting on the other side of the kid, successfully getting her attention. “Sorry about this, but would you mind getting your son to let go? He’s hurting Kero.”

Rather than the apology that he was expecting, the woman’s face morphed into a frown. “I don’t see the problem,” she said--and  _ wow _ was that a Karen. “Just give him the toy.”

Izuku sweatdropped. “I-I’m sorry?”

The woman huffed. “Right. I’d appreciate it if you gave my son the toy now.”

_ ‘What is this woman on?! Can’t she see Kero moving around and crying out in pain?!’ _ “Ma’am, Kero isn’t a toy. He’s my quirk companion.”

“Yeah, right. Now you’re just making excuses. Give him the plushie and I’ll forgive you.” She had the gall to hold out a hand in demand, even as Kero struggled against the grip of her toddler son. “Well?”

Izuku, done with the situation and this woman, forced the kid to let go, wrapped Kero in his arms, and made his way to the doors. The speaker system announced they were stopping in a second--just two stops before the one they needed--and so he was getting off.

“Excuse me?! How dare you walk away from me! I’m talking to you!” The train pulled into the station, and while he normally wouldn’t agree with Kero’s choice of words, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Fuck off, lady!”

The sounds of the woman’s screeching were what accompanied the pair of magic users as they ran off the train.

\-----

Izuku sighed, slumping onto his desk. Kero did the same, fully laying out on the table, uncaring that they were in a classroom. The greenette sighed once more before reaching for his bag, pulling out his paperwork for the new school year. Looking down reminded him that he’d gotten lucky, choosing the UA vest rather than the suit jacket, able to survive the unseasonably warm, Spring day without fear of sweating too much.

Speaking of sweat; Katsuki practically slammed himself into his desk, scowling as he noticed who was just behind him. “Hey, Katsuki,” the green-haired boy greeted. Kero groaned from his place on the desk but made no other acknowledgment of the blond’s presence.

“The plush has to wear a uniform, too?” Kero groaned, but still made no retaliation. The uniform in question was just a glorified bow and shirt in UA’s notable grey and red.

“Yeah, he does,” Izuku said, offering no more explanation. He was drained from his run to make it on time. Katsuki must have noticed, because not even a second later he spoke up again.

“The fuck’s wrong with you? I thought you’d be vibrating out of your chair at the mention of hero teachers?”

The green-haired boy groaned into the wood. “While we were on the train a kid tried taking Kero, pulling on his legs and tail,” Izuku said. “And then, after I tried getting their mother to stop them, instead of getting their kid to stop, they demanded I give Kero over.” The greenette sighed again, finally keying Katsuki in on his exhaustion. “I had to get off two stops early because of that, running most of the way here.”

“Bitch,” the blond snorted, ignoring Izuku’s pout by turning around, propping his feet on his desk. “Should’ve just told her off, rather than running away.”

“I told her to fuck off,” Kero said, his first coherent words since entering UA. Katsuki laughed from his spot in front of them, something that the blond doesn’t do nearly often enough.

Izuku opened his mouth to warn Kero from swearing inside when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Looking over revealed the lavender-haired boy from before the exams. “Oh, you made it in!”

The lavender kid smiled tiredly. “Yeah, and a promise is a promise, so thanks. For the nap.” Izuku nods, smiling as the lavender boy sits in the seat behind him.

“You didn’t have to thank me, you know.”

Lavender-kid shook his head; “It is one-hundred percent only because you let me have a nap before the exam that I passed.” Izuku tried to dispute that when a hand cut him off. “Trust me. It is.” Taking the hand that cut Izuku off, he extended it; “Shinsou Hitoshi.”

“Midoriya Izuku.”

\-----

Shinsou and Izuku were talking about what UA’s orientation might be like compared to middle school when a gruff voice came from the front of the room. “If you came here to make friends, then I suggest you leave.”

There, standing at the teacher’s podium, was a hobo-looking man-  _ ‘Oh my god, it’s Eraserhead! I can’t believe that I get to be taught by  _ the _ Eraserhead!’ _ Eraserhead scanned the classroom. “It took you eight seconds to quiet down. We’ll have to work on that throughout the year.”

Geometry boy, who had been glaring at Katsuki and Izuku the whole time they’d been waiting for the day to begin, raised his hand. “Excuse me, sir, but who are you?” It was quite rude, in Izuku’s opinion, but Eraserhead paid it no mind.

“My name is Aizawa Shouta, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher starting today.”

A collective  _ “Eh?!” _ ran through the class. Izuku was an exception, already knowing that Eraser-  _ Aizawa _ was a pro, and as such had to be their teacher if he was in the room. A quick glance around showed that one other person seemed to figure it out, a girl behind Shinsou with a tall ponytail.

Aizawa brought the attention back to himself by pulling a gym uniform from the podium. “I know it’s a bit sudden, but would you all mind putting on your gym uniforms and meeting me outside? I’ll guide you to the changing rooms.”

The pro hero was just about to take a step out the door, when he stopped. Turning languidly, he made eye contact with Izuku. “Midoriya.” The boy jolted at being addressed so soon after meeting his teacher. “Bring your cards.” And with that he left, guiding the class to the changing rooms.

\-----

“I wonder what we’re doing,” Izuku said to his companion. Kero nodded, sitting on the Cardcaptor’s shoulder as they made their way to the sports fields. “And why do you think Aizawa-sensei told me to bring the Cards? Could it be something quirk-related?”

“I don’t know, you’re the expert here.” Kero flew beside Izuku as they stopped outside next to the ponytail girl and Aizawa himself. “Whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“Unless another Card decides to attack us,” Izuku whispered.

Kero pulled at the collar of his own gym uniform. “Yeah, unless that happens.”

\-----

“We’re going to be holding a quirk apprehension assessment,” Aizawa told the class once everyone was out of the changing rooms. Izuku stood next to Shinsou and Katsuki at the front of the group, opposite where geometry-boy was. “You’ll be tested in the eight physical tests you’ve done since middle school, only this time your quirks will aid you.”

The pro hero tossed a ball to Katsuki. “Bakugou, you scored first on the entrance exam, yes?” The blond nodded. “Stand in the circle and use your quirk to throw the ball as far as you can.” The greenette plugged his ears when Katsuki grinned maniacally, letting off an explosion that shook the area, launching the softball into the air.

“This is a good test to see where you all stand right now. We’ll use this metric to compare when you build yourself up later.” He turned around a device, showing 1-A the score.

“Seven-hundred and five-point-two meters?!” The explosive blond smirked, walking back to Izuku.

“ _ ‘Die,’ _ really, Katsuki?” Izuku whispered to his not-friend. Katsuki scoffed.

“Motivation. You better keep up, nerd, otherwise you’ll be left behind.” The greenette scoffed at the blatant competition that Katsuki was trying to instigate.

From his other side, Shinsou bumped Izuku to gain his attention. “You didn’t hear any of that, did you?” The greenette shook his head, and Shinsou sighed. “Last place overall gets expelled.”

“Wow-  _ on the first day?!” _

\-----

The green-haired Cardcaptor summoned his sealing staff, ignoring the quiet murmurs from his fellow classmates. Pulling out Dash, he activated the Card, just in time to be called out by Aizawa for his turn at the fifty-meter race.

At the call, Izuku was sprinting, crossing the finish line in; “Midoriya Izuku, time: two-point-five seconds!” The greenette grinned, but then felt bad when the robotic time-keeper called out again; “Iida Tenya, time: three-point-zero-four seconds!”

“So  _ that’s _ the name of the stuck-up brat.” Izuku startled when Kero said that from behind. “Finally, I have a name to the face.” The Cardcaptor sighed deeply, knowing that Kero wouldn’t let go of his grudge--which is fair, seeing as Iida had  _ yet _ to apologize for the exam.

Ignoring his partner’s menacing aura, Izuku watched his classmates compete. He couldn’t help but wish for his analysis notebook when he saw a sparkling boy shoot a laser from his stomach, and his competition slide on…  _ ‘It’s smoking just barely, so...acid.’ _ And then a boy with red-white hair split down the center skated on ice. It was awesome!

He steadily ignored the feeling of someone staring at him.

\-----

Having kept his staff out, Izuku grabbed Power and activated it, taking the grip strength test and forcing its handles together, making the counter climb higher and higher until it reached- “One-thousand kilograms!? Dude, what have you been doing?!”

Izuku sweatdropped at the redhead’s question.  _ ‘Kirishima, I think,’ _ he thought to himself as the boy was called back to the acid-secreting pink girl.  _ ‘And Ashido.’ _ He shrugged at the abrupt entrance and exit Kirishima had, already readying himself for the standing long jump.

\-----

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Kero said from beside Izuku. Katsuki and Shinsou, who were nearby, looked at the plush in confusion. “I  _ really _ don’t think you should be testing your limits like this. You know what happened last time.”

The greenette waved the guardian off, pulling Jump from his stack of Cards. “It’ll be  _ fine _ , Kero. Besides, you agreed that if we got into UA we could do this-- _ specifically _ this.” Kero sighed, no longer protesting as the boy had him in a bind. The pair ignored the stares of the other participants.

Shinsou and Katsuki only watched in confusion as the greenette went up to the pit for his turn, activating a Card on his walk. They were wondering about the wings that appeared on his ankles, but that was quickly shoved to the back when, at the call, Izuku went speeding through the air, traveling in a high arc that took him all the way to the distant tree line.

Kero sighed, shrugging while everyone--except Aizawa--gaped at the distance. “I told him it was too much.” Floating to the Sakura Book on the benches, Kero pulled out Fly, throwing it towards Izuku’s small form in the distance; “Bring him back, okay?” The class once again was stunned when Izuku came back using a pair of wings.

The greenette rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, Aizawa-sensei.”

“A warning would be appreciated before you fly off, Midoriya.” The greenette nodded quickly. 

\-----

“Fly, this is a ball throw, not playtime.” The bird didn’t seem to care as it perched in Izuku’s hair. He sighed, knowing Fly wouldn’t let up until he got to play with them--which would be after school ends. Or sooner, depending on the tests.

Watching, the green-haired boy couldn’t help but stare as the ponytail girl from before shot the softball from a cannon that sprouted from her stomach--  _ ‘Which is really awesome of a quirk, but for the grip strength she had an exoskeleton-like thing, and for the dash she used fancy roller skates… So amazing!’ _

A girl with a brown bob took her turn, shocking everyone when her final score came out to be infinity.  _ ‘But was it  _ actual _ infinity? Or did the ball just leave the range of the sensor, and so the device just extrapolated based on its current path? Or did it reach outer space, meaning it  _ was _ infinity, as it would never land again?’ _

Finally, it was Izuku’s turn, but instead of using just one Card, he had three in his possession. He wasn’t counting Fly, who was still sitting in his hair. Nodding to himself from within the circle, the greenette set down the ball, activating the first of his cards;  _ “Power,” _ he called, picking up the softball again.

Taking a pitcher’s stance, he threw, watching as the ball rocketed away with the strength of Power,  _ ‘who lets me match All Might in a straight fight,’ _ Izuku sweatdropped. Speedily, he activated the other two Cards;  _ “Windy, Float, keep the ball going as long as you can.” _

Dissolving into ribbons, Float sped to the ball, Windy following behind with a small smile. He knew Float connected when the purple-pink form appeared, and then Windy moved the floating softball through the air with ease.

The class waited… And waited… quicker than the amount of time it took for the infinity score to be called, Aizawa turned the screen to show the same score.  _ ‘Guess it just moved out of the sensor’s range. Huh.’ _ Silently, the Cardcaptor called back Windy and Float.  _ ‘Hopefully, they get here before school’s over…’ _

\-----

“Aizawa-sensei,” Izuku called. The man turned to face him and briefly Izuku thought he saw a grimace on the teacher’s face. “You said we could do anything so long as it doesn’t impede the others, right?”

“Yes, but this is only a twelve-lap race, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make a mess of things, Midoriya.”

Izuku nodded, and 1-A had to suppress a small shiver when the greenette smiled.

\-----

Izuku started next to Katsuki, the grinning blond taking full advantage of the fact that the endurance race was last, meaning he’d built up a lot of sweat. The smell of burnt sugar only cemented that fact.

Looking around, Izuku found Kero floating beside Aizawa, the teacher looking bored as ever, but still attentive. Shinsou, he found, was at the other end of the group, standing near the outer edge of the lanes.

Yaoyorozu pulled a solar powered moped from her stomach, leaving the greenette in awe of her quirk for the umpteenth time that day. Iida, unfortunately, was also nearby, but hopefully not for long.

As Aizawa called the start of the race, Izuku utilized Dash, speeding past Yaoyorozu and Iida. Once a sufficient distance away--two-hundred meters--he called out to Fly, who still hadn’t left his hair since being called out. “Fly, let’s go!”

The flash of light and ribbons dissipated quickly, leaving the Cardcaptor with a pair of green wings. With a heavy downbeat, the green-haired boy sped through the air, flying above everyone as he lapped them. He made sure to keep an eye on Yaoyorozu, the moped keeping a steady pace just one-hundred meters behind.

\-----

“Dude,” Shinsou panted, “how the  _ hell _ did you finish in  _ ten minutes?!” _

Izuku laughed at the lavender-haired boy’s complaint, not offering any explanation other than a shrug.

\-----

The repeated side-steps were kind of anti-climactic, in the grand scheme of things. Dash couldn’t help as this wasn’t running, and Kero vetoed any chance at seeing whether Jump would work for side-steps. So, in the end, he only got a measly fifty-four.

1-A sighed in relief.

The seated toe-touch was just as boring, the only truly surprising thing to come out of it was the fact that their invisible classmate was super flexible, as well as Shinsou. Class 1-A really has some wild people in it.

\-----

“I don’t want to tell you the scores so you can read them for yourself.” Aizawa pressed a button on his scoring device, projecting the scoreboard onto the white wall of the storage room.

Izuku scanned the list, trying to find his name. Shinsou ended up getting thirteenth, and Kastsuki got himself in third place, but for some reason, he just couldn’t find-  _ oh. _ There, displayed right under “ _ Yaoyorozu Momo: First _ ,” was “ _ Midoriya Izuku: Second _ .”

“Well done, Izuku,” Kero said, and the boy smiled. “You beat out Spike Bitch!” Izuku’s smile grew strained, lightly hitting the lion plush on the head.

“By the way,” Aizawa said, drawing the attention back to himself. “I was lying about expelling whoever came in last.”

_ “What!?” _

The pro hero ignored the outburst, continuing on as if nothing had happened. “It was a rational deception meant to bring out the best in all of you. Change back into your uniforms and make your way to the classroom. I have a few announcements before lunch, and then the rest of the day is yours to do whatever.”

\-----

“Come on out, All Might,” Shouta said to the bushes. He’d just concluded his yearly quirk assessment, leaving the students to change before meeting them in the classroom. “For being the number one hero you’re not exactly the best at hiding.”

The bushes shook before All Might pooped out in all his muscular glory. “I guess I still have things to learn, eh, Aizawa-kun.” The pro didn’t smile, simply stared at the number one.

“Why were you keeping an eye on my class, All Might? Don’t tell me you have favorites already.”

“No, no,” All Might lamely defended. “I was just wondering how our newest hero-hopefuls are coming along!” His smile grew strained when Shouta didn’t say anything for a long minute.

“Are you positive you weren’t watching Midoriya and Kirishima?” All Might jolted. “During the exam, you were watching Kirishima the whole time, and then when Midoriya became the center of his testing center’s attention, you couldn’t look away.” Eraserhead gave the number one a side glance.

“Kirishima is a promising student, able to take his newest mutation and devise a way to work around its destructive properties. Midoriya… In all honesty, Midoriya is strange. His quirk has so many facets, and even when using my quirk he didn’t seem to notice.” 1-A’s homeroom teacher sighed deeply. “Problem children, both of them.”

Shouta walked away from the number one, no longer wanting to discuss pointless topics. He didn’t notice when All Might’s smile grew darker, turning into an uncharacteristic frown.

\-----

“And that’s everything I have,” Aizawa said. “Lunch will be served soon, but you have ten minutes before the bell, so do whatever until then.” He pulled out a yellow sleeping bag from... _ somewhere _ , wrapping himself in it. “Just make sure to keep the noise level down.”

The class sweatdropped at once as their teacher seemed to immediately fall asleep after the declaration. Sighing, Izuku looked around, trying to think of something to do as he waited for the lunch bell to ring. Luckily, someone already had an idea.

“Hey, why don’t we introduce ourselves!” The boy who made the suggestion was…  _ ‘Kaminari, I think?’ _ The distinctive yellow hair with a black streak shaped like a lightning bolt helped the greenette make the connection. 

The pink-skinned Ashido jumped up in apparent agreement. “Yeah! And we could say something fun about ourselves! Like our favorite food, or activity, or something else!” 

A moment later and they were going down the rows, introducing themselves to their newest classmates. Izuku made sure to remember names, finally putting names to quirks and faces if he hadn’t already. 

Unfortunately it was his turn to go. “O-Oh, um… My name is Midoriya Izuku, and I… uh, don’t really know what else to say…?”

That got a reaction out of his classmates. “What?! Dude, you have to tell us how your quirk works!” Kirishima said loudly.

“Yeah! What’s with the cards?” That one was Sero.

Sweatdropping at the collective nod that the class gave, Izuku nodded. “Oh, I guess… I have Cards that give me different abilities, but the problem is it’s sometimes hard to control…” He opened his mouth to tell them about how he might get attacked some days, but Kero beat him to the punch.

“And  _ I’m _ Keroberos, the Beast of the Seal!” Just like when he’d first introduced himself to Izuku he placed a paw to his chest, prideful in his title.

“... _ Wack,” _ Kaminari said in the silence of the room. Thankfully, nobody else had anything to say, so they moved on to Iida.

Izuku sighed in relief.

\-----

Taking the second half of the day to explore UA’s campus, Izuku was walking around, taking note of every hall and bathroom in case of shortcuts and emergency breaks. What he didn’t really understand was why Shinsou was walking with him, same with Katsuki--who was angry/impressed at Izuku’s score for the test earlier.

It’s weird.

“So… Anything you wanted to talk about, Shinsou?” The green-haired boy looked at his maybe-friend, and then to his not-friend. “And I know you have dinner to prepare, Katsuki.”

The blond answered first, scowling; “The hag said she’d make dinner since today was the beginning of the year. I’m here, now, because the ex-  _ our classmates _ are being fucking stupid.”

“And I’m here because I don’t want to go home just yet, so exploring UA seemed the way to do it.” Shinsou shrugged, “Just so happened you were doing the same.”

“I guess… Anyway,” Izuku said to the pair of taller boys behind him, “we need to choose: faculty office or library, for our first stop.”

\-----

Along their walk Izuku felt something akin to a Sakura Card, but seeing as Kero fell asleep in his school bag, he was by himself. The trio continued their trek to the library when the feeling grew. Stopping, the Cardcaptor looked around for anything that might reveal what was happening.

“Now?” Katsuki growled at nobody in particular before sitting against the wall.

“What?” Shinsou followed Katsuki’s lead, confused even as he sat against the wall. The pair watched as Izuku summoned his staff, turning around to look everywhere. “Is he okay?” The blond scoffed at the question.

“He’s fine, just his quirk coming to beat his ass.”

“Not funny, Katsuki,” Izuku said. The green-haired boy pulled a Card from his bag--careful not to disturb the sleeping guardian--activating it. Shinsou’s eyes went wide when he saw Izuku holding a sword, walking towards them while looking at the ground. “It’s nonviolent this time--which is nice. Give me a second- I think I’ve got it-”

The Cardcaptor vanished when the swing of his sword swept across the ground, leaving the pair sitting next to nothing.

A minute later had Izuku jogging to them from around the corner they’d just passed, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry; it was looping the halls so we’d never reach our destination. When I cut it, I was on the wrong side, so I was farther away from you.”

“Midoriya... What the fuck?”

\-----

“Ah, wait,” Midoriya said as they left the library. He turned to the lavender-haired boy to his right, ignoring the way Katsuki scoffed. “Shinsou, I don’t think I ever actually got to see you do your tests,” he began. “I was wondering, what’s your quirk?” Hitoshi cringed at the question, something that was not missed by both his companions. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude-”

“It’s fine,” Hitoshi says quickly. A hand makes its way to his neck, rubbing at the nape as he looks to the side. “You would’ve seen it tomorrow during our first Foundational Heroics class, anyway. I can brainwash anyone who responds to me.”

It was quiet for a moment, and while Hitoshi knew the short, green-haired boy wouldn’t be rude, the explosive blond  _ is _ , so it’s a toss-up of their reactions. Not like there were many to choose from if middle school was any indication. Taking a chance to look at his no-longer friend, Hitoshi came face to face with a practically shining Midoriya.

“Now you’ve done it,” Bakugou says quietly. The lavender-haired boy gave him a confused glance but was pulled back to Midoriya when he began firing off rapid-fire questions.

“That’s amazing! You said ‘responds’, so does that mean you have to ask a question first, or do they have to talk to you? Do you have a time limit, or even a person limit? What about your commands? ‘Brainwashing’ is a very broad term, so is it suggestive, or just a compulsion? Or could it even be forced compliance? How about-”

Midoriya coughed when a hand slapped his back. “Calm the fuck down, damn nerd! Take a breath and let him speak! Honestly, how did you even miss him during the tests?” Hitoshi couldn’t be more grateful for the blond, but it also feels like Bakugou was feeding him to the metaphorical sharks when green eyes widened expectantly at him.

Taking a breath for himself--tuning out the chaotic mutterings of the green-haired boy to keep himself grounded--Hitoshi sighed.  _ ‘Can’t really tell him everything, otherwise, I’ll lose the element of surprise I need for tomorrow’s lesson. What can I say to make him drop it…?’ _ He blinked. _ ‘That’ll do.’ _

With a smirk, Hitoshi opens his mouth to reply and he can literally see Midoriya leaning in to get the answers.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?”

The resulting offended gasp was worth it, even if Midoriya didn’t stop pestering him until they separated at UA’s gate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! You made it to the end!
> 
> For any suggestion that wasn't "used" in this chapter; that doesn't mean they won't make an appearance. I loved them all, so this is going to be fun!
> 
> The quirk apprehension test: Izuku's powers are wild, and we already know Jump is ridiculous, same with Dash, so is it really a stretch to say what happened...happened? Also, when we encountered Power, she was fighting on equal ground with All Might, so that tracks (his grip strength was low-ish because he was worried about breaking the machine).  
> Um...I know I'll get comments telling me off or what-not, but I really can't see how Todoroki's ice got him in second place? Like, I get he's OP and all, but it doesn't seem to be /that/ versatile in terms of fitness tests... IDK, that's probably just me. Ignore that.
> 
> Ah... Loop's capture was a bit lackluster in description, because Izuku is the narrator and he's slightly unreliable, meaning his attention is more on UA itself than describing his encounter. I know, that just sounds like a cop-out, but that's my reasoning. Sorry.
> 
> How Izuku didn't realize Shinsou's quirk: He saw a girl pull a cannon from her stomach, a guy with multiple arms, an invisible girl, a girl who could negate gravity... You could say his mind was busy theorizing about their quirks and different applications to hero work. He's not a bad friend, just a little too enthusiastic for his own good sometimes (i.e. the standing long-jump).
> 
> I guess that's all I have for this chapter, really. I can't wait to show you guys the battle trial next time; I like it a lot, and I hope you do, too!  
> See you next time!
> 
> Bye!


	12. Maze Training! I Mean- Battle Training!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the second day at UA, and Izuku couldn't wait for their first heroics lesson of the year.
> 
> Hopefully, he doesn't get targeted by another Sakura Card during school hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! It's me, the author, here again for another chapter update!
> 
> I'd like to start this off with a slight disclaimer: action is difficult for me to write, so I apologize in advance if my action scenes for this chapter aren't up to snuff. I'm working on it, so it shouldn't be as weird by the time the USJ comes around.
> 
> Reading your comments about how OP Izu would be in the battle trial really made my day! I just hope you guys like my decision!
> 
> (A small side note here: I splurged again, ending up buying all 10 omnibus volumes of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, all 7 Omnibus of xxxHolic, and the three Tsubasa: World Chronicle volumes all at once. All 20 volumes come on Thursday and I'm very excited! [My bank hates me, I know it.] Clamp really knows what to get me with, huh? Not to mention I bought the CE of Clamp's Clover manga series. [Someone stop me.])
> 
> Speaking of manga volumes! Volume 7 of Cardcaptor Sakura Collector's Edition came in on Friday! I love it so much, and the limited edition foil art card has Touya and Yukito on it and makes me so happy because that's what this volume was about! I love it so much and I can't wait for Clear Card Volume 9!!!
> 
> Okay, back on topic! Without any further ado, here are 19 pages--6,299 words--of the newest Cardcaptor Izuku chapter!!!
> 
> Enjoy!

Izuku sweatdropped, scratching his cheek as he stared at the tall, lavender-haired boy standing in front of him. “Er… Shinsou…?”

“Call me Hitoshi, Izuku.”

“Ah, Hitoshi...san?”

“Hitoshi.”

“Hitoshi... _ kun?” _

“Hitoshi.”

“...Hitoshi… Why…?” The greenette gestured to the taller boy in question. The reason for this is because Shinsou met him at UA’s gate, only addressed him by his given name, demanded the same, and is now gently petting Izuku’s hair.  _ ‘When did he get closer?!’ _

Too bad Izuku isn’t precognitive like Sir Nighteye, because Shinsou held up a hand, listing off points with his fingers. “You’re the reason I passed the entrance exam, you were hilarious to watch yesterday, had a lot of insight for my quirk without even knowing it, I learned you’re under constant threat of your quirk, and we’re friends.” He paused after all five fingers dropped, “I have more if you need...?”

“N-No…? A-Anyway, you can’t just go around deciding we’re friends,” the green-haired boy said, turning away to hide a slight blush. “I’ve known you for a day and I know for a fact you’re supposed to wait longer than that before you begin using given names!” He began walking to class, leaving Shinsou behind.

“So you don’t want to be my friend?”

“Th-that’s not what I meant!” He quickly turned around, ready to ease Shinsou’s worries, when the lavender-haired boy smirked.  _ ‘Oh, this fucker…’ _ “I hate you,” he said without any heat behind it.

“I believe you.”

“Shut up. You never even answered my question yesterday.”

Shinsou put his hand into his pockets, walking beside Izuku. “Yes, I did.”

“A pre-quirk  _ meme _ isn’t a proper answer,  _ Hitoshi...kun _ ,” Izuku said, slightly glaring at the taller boy.

“Wouldn’t you know it, we’re going to be late for class!” Shinsou began speed walking away, leaving the greenette behind. Izuku gasped, then began chasing after him.

“You can’t escape my questions, Hitoshi!”

\-----

“Where’s the toy?”

Izuku gave the blond an incredulous stare as he set his bag down. “Hi, Katsuki. Good morning, Katsuki.”

“ _ Hello,” _ the blond greeted sarcastically. “Now, where’s your knock-off teddy bear?”

“He stayed at home today, said he had an appointment for one of his games.” The green-haired boy ignored Shinsou’s hand when it landed in his hair, pulling out his English notebook. “Something about having a guild meeting...or was it a boss raid? Anyway,” he said flippantly, “the point is he’s at home.”

“...Are you just going to ignore the fact that panda-eyes has his hands in your hair?”

“Yes.” Katsuki stared at both Izuku and Shinsou for a minute.

Shinsou, seeing the unspoken question, leaned over Izuku’s desk, grabbed Katsuki’s hand, and placed it in the greenette’s hair. “It’s soft.”

Izuku groaned when the blond didn’t pull his hand away.

\-----

Izuku put away his books, smiling as Snipe left their classroom after their chemistry lesson.  _ ‘It’s so weird seeing all these pro heroes up close! Present Mic with English, Midnight and her hero modern art classes, and modern literature with Cementoss… It’s a dream come true!’ _

Izuku is brought from his thoughts by a very distinct voice.

“I am here… Coming through the door like a normal person!” All Might burst through the door-- _ not _ like a normal person, but semantics--laughing loudly at the absolute chaos he’s caused. “I am here to be your Foundational Heroics teacher! And what better way to do that, than with battle training!” The hero held up a card with blocky, red lettering that read  _ battle _ , and he laughed again. “But for that, you will need these!”

At the press of a button, the wall at the back of the classroom fell away, revealing cubbies that had numbers that matched the seating chart. “Put these on and meet me at Ground B!” All Might flashed them a grin before exiting the room just as quickly as he’d entered.

“...He’s not good at this ‘teaching’ thing, is he,” Shinsou said from behind Izuku.

The greenette sweatdropped. “Y-Yeah… B-But that isn’t to say that he’s a bad teacher!”

\-----

“They say that the costume makes the hero, and I must say you all look the part!” All Might’s voice echoed slightly in the room they were in, but despite the loud volume, Izuku couldn’t help but agree.

Iida--as much as he disliked the boy--looked nice in his  _ obviously _ Ingenium-inspired costume, and Uraraka’s space-themed outfit was nice as well. Looking around had Izuku stopping to see Ashido in her... _ boldly colored  _ costume, and the rocker-like...Jirou, was it? They all looked nice.

Shinsou came up next to Izuku, and he couldn’t help but snort when he saw what he was wearing. “Found some inspiration, eh, Hitoshi-kun?” The lavender-haired boy crossed his arms.

Shinsou’s main body-suit was mainly black with deep purple lines along the sides. His boots ended mid-calf and were visibly armored. A mask covered his mouth and nose, likely doubling as a respirator, and a pair of purple goggles covered his eyes. Fingerless gloves covered his hands, likely so he had more dexterity for handling the capture weapon looping around his neck.

“You look like an Eraserhead cosplay,” he said, unable to help himself from laughing. He did stop when the taller boy punched his shoulder.

“Not my fault, his outfit is one of the most practical for underground work,” Shinsou said, tone betraying his embarrassment. “Besides, at least  _ I _ don’t look like the main character from a majokko! Seriously, I didn’t take you for that type.” Now it was Izuku’s turn to blush.

“You’re just jealous that I’m stylish,” he said, using a hand to make the back end of his dress flair outward. 

Neither of them said anything for a moment. 

“Let’s just ignore that.”

“Agreed.”

\-----

“Sir!”  _ ‘Oh my god, Iida, please get through one day without interrupting the teacher.’ _ “I see we’re at the same place we conducted the entrance exam! Are we going to be fighting against the villain robots again?”

“Not this time, young Iida! You all know about the villain fights that take place in the streets, often publicized, but what you likely  _ didn’t _ know is that the most dangerous villains hide inside buildings, and little over half of all villain fights take place indoors! Today we are going to simulate that, with a two-versus-two mock hero-villain battle!”

Izuku couldn’t help but cringe when the class started talking over each other. “How are the teams going to be chosen?” “Fighting already? That’s so manly!” “Hopefully we won’t get expelled for doing poorly.” “I’m so excited!”

“Everyone,” All Might said, flustered at the noise, “please, my quirk isn’t super hearing! The teams will be decided by lots-”

“-Are you sure that’s a good decision?”

_ ‘God damn, Iida! Use your brain!’ _ “U-Um, in a real-life situation, most heroes are put in groups that haven’t worked together before. Lottery just lets us get ready for that fact earlier.” All eyes were on the green-haired boy; he cringed at the attention.

“Exactly! As I said, the teams will be decided by lots. Once everyone is paired up we will determine the heroes and villains for each round in the same way. Each round will have five minutes for the villains to hide and defend their objective: a paper mache warhead! After that time is up the heroes will enter the building.

“The heroes win if they either capture both villains with their capture-tape or secure the warhead. The villains win if they do the same to the heroes, but also if the allotted ten minutes run out beforehand!” All Might finishes his spiel with a flourish of the lottery boxes, telling the class to line up for their drawings.

After a few tense minutes, Izuku is revealed to be teamed up with Tokoyami--who is wearing a dark cloak that reaches from his neck to his ankles. “I can’t wait to work with you,” he says with a shaky smile. The bird-headed boy nods silently, taking a stance beside him.

“Now that everyone has their teammates, it is time to decide the first match!” All Might’s call has everyone quieting down again. “Our first villains will be...Team G!” Looking down shows him and Tokoyami are going first.  _ ‘What luck,’ _ he thinks wryly. “And up against them is...Team F as the heroes!”

“Oh, hey, that’s Hitoshi-kun’s team!”

…

_ “Oh, hey, that’s Katsuki’s team.” _

\-----

“Midoriya,” Tokoyami says suddenly. Izuku stops just at the door to the building they’re supposed to be ‘defending’, looking at his teammate in silent question. “I noticed yesterday that you, too, have a creature of your inner darkness living amongst the light. Yet, when I search for it now, I am unable to find it. Pray-tell, how do you conceal it so well?”

Utterly confused by the boy’s way of speaking it takes Izuku a moment to determine what he was asking. “Oh, you mean Kero?” Tokoyami nods. “He had something else to do today, so he stayed at home. Anyway, we only have five minutes to prepare,” he said, stepping past the threshold, “so how do you want to do this?”

He doesn’t get an answer. Turning around, he finds the door has vanished. Scanning the area, he sees an expansive space filled with walls, staircases, and arches, all seeming to work in a way that gravity normally doesn’t allow. “This is like that one pre-quirk artwork… Um, what was it called again; Reality, or Relativity? Whatever,” he shakes his head, “it doesn’t matter right now.”

“I need to get out of this maze.” He blinks in realization.  _ “Maze! _ I got it now! This is The Maze, isn’t it, Kero?”

\-----

Kero, currently in the middle of absolutely decimating a boss with his guild, sneezes loudly.

\-----

“All Might, sensei, Midoriya just vanished!”

Class 1-A stopped their chattering, wondering about possible matchups. A wave of confusion and concern rippled through the room. All Might, undeterred, picks up his microphone. “Young Tokoyami, what do you mean, ‘vanished’?”

Tokoyami’s figure on the screens displaying camera feeds was worried. “I  _ mean _ that Midoriya was just asking about possible plans for the exercise, but when he went through the door, he disappeared right in front of me!” Tokoyami was a bit too concerned about his classmate to worry about his wordage right now.

“Hmm, that is quite concerning. Have you tried contacting him through your communicator? Perhaps he merely moved to a different part of the building,” the number one hero suggested, already switching feeds to find the hero student. Aizawa, beside him, glared at the monitors, already in contact with Power Loader.

“Just a moment.”

\-----

Fumikage pressed a finger to his ear, and a soft buzz sounded, announcing a connection. “Midoriya, can you hear me?”

“...”

He tried again. “Midoriya, this is Tokoyami, please respond.”

“...Tokoyami? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I hear you, Midoriya.”

Midoriya sighs through the comm, “Good, good. Can you tell All Might that I’m okay? I don’t think my signal is getting through… Which does pose the question as to why _ you _ can hear me, but not him? Hmm… Maybe it’s because you’re at the entrance to The Maze?”

“A...maze.” Fumikage repeated, confused. The blueprints that they’d been given by Aizawa-sensei made it  _ look _ like a maze, but it  _ wasn’t _ one. “Midoriya, what are you-” The bird-headed teen cut himself off as he stepped into the building… Only, it wasn’t the assigned building anymore, but instead a maze.

“Oh, hey,” his green-haired partner said casually. He was looking around at the walls and staircases, eyes alight in excitement at the prospect of walking sideways. “I tried telling you not to come in, but I guess that didn’t go through, huh?”

Dark Shadow, taking this time to come out, got in Midoriya’s face. “Dude! What if this is a villain attack!?” Fumikage blushed, realizing that his other half just blurted his concerns, but that went away when the greenette shook his head.

“No need to worry, Dark Shadow,” he said. “This is just another challenge. It’s so great that we’re not getting attacked right now,” Midoriya mumbled to himself. Fumikage had to fight to keep his jaw closed.

“What a mad banquet of darkness,” he said instead.

\-----

“So…” Izuku started. The pair of them have been walking around The Maze for a few minutes now and the greenette was just getting a bit unnerved with the silence. “Assuming we get out of here in time...how does your quirk work? We might be able to come up with a plan while we find the exit.”

Tokoyami said nothing for a moment. Then, as they crossed onto a different path that changed their gravity, he spoke up; “My quirk split the darker piece of my soul, bringing it to life. Dark Shadow is a challenge to live with as its power grows in the darkness, nearly becoming uncontrollable if not for my own will.”

Izuku nodded beside the bird-headed boy, paying attention even when Dark Shadow himself contradicted Tokoyami’s claims by asking to be pet like a cat. The greenette made sure not to let Tokoyami notice when the other boy turned to face them. “And you?” Izuku hummed in question. “You called this... _ maze _ a ‘challenge’, meaning you have dealt with this kind of situation before?”

Smiling at his partner, Izuku nodded. He pulled out Sword from his holster, showing the Card to Tokoyami. “My quirk is classified as a specialty quirk, meaning it came in later than normal, and it behaves strangely compared to everyone else.” The green-haired boy summoned his staff, holding it out as well. “A little under a year ago I got my quirk, but because it took so long to manifest its power is wild and uncontrolled.

“To keep me safe, my quirk’s Cards split from me, only letting me use the ability after I’d passed a challenge and claimed it for myself.” He smiled to himself, walking across the arch with Tokoyami at his side. “Kero was another way my quirk thought to protect me; a sentient guide that could help identify and seal my Cards.” His bird-headed partner gave him an indecipherable look.

Sensing this was a rather deep topic he waved his hands; “B-But it’s fine! I’ve gotten plenty of control and Kero says I’m nearly halfway done! And besides! I think I’ve gotten an idea to get out of here!” He ignored the strange look, activating Sword as he took a stance facing the wall. “It’s against the rules, but I think just this once we’ll get away with breaking the walls.”

“Midoriya, I don’t think your sword will break-” Tokoyami’s warning was cut off by the wall crumbling under Sword’s downward swing.

“See? I think if we keep going this way we should get out before our teachers get too upset.” The greenette started walking through his self-made doorway, stopping when he didn’t hear footsteps following him. Turning, he found Tokoyami gaping at him. “Tokoyami? Are you coming?”

“...You have a sword that can pierce through anything… How did you not die when faced with such a challenge?” Izuku blinked.

“Oh, that?” He laughed at the memory. “Well, it’s kind of funny, really…”

\-----

“Aizawa-sensei.” The aforementioned man turned his attention to the screen that showed Bakugou and Shinsou, the ‘heroes’ for the exercise. The pair were waiting just before where Midoriya and Tokoyami disappeared from.

“Yes, Bakugou?” The pro continued to look through the different feeds, trying to find the pair of ‘villains’, just like All Might was doing next to him.

“Izuku and Bird-Brain are fine.” Shouta paused, looking at Bakugou and Shinsou again.

“Bakugou, you can’t know that for sure. Until we find them, All Might and I-”

“Dammit- It’s the fucker’s quirk, alright?” Bakugou sighed, a hand making its way to his head. “Shitty nerd should have told you by now, but his quirk does this every so often; makes his life difficult as shit, showing up out of nowhere and-”

“Bakugou,” Shinsou interrupted. The lavender-haired boy sighed when his blond teammate didn’t continue. “Sensei, Izuku’s quirk makes him ‘fight it’ before being able to use it, so to speak.”

Shouta let that sink in for a moment. “You’re telling me his quirk did this?”

“Yes,” Bakugou bit out. “And it’s just my luck that it happened right before our match, too. Just stop worrying so much over nothing; if Crow Face is to be believed, they’re in a maze right now. Give the nerd a minute to figure his way out of there and-”

From the building proper, Midoriya and Tokoyami came walking from the main entrance. Eraserhead watched as Midoriya did something with his staff--like he was reverse-activating one of his cards. The building seemed to ripple for a second before the greenette was holding a card.

“See? He’s fine.”

“Bakugou! Don’t be rude to sensei!” Shouta watched the green-haired enigma get nearly strangled by the blond, the two of them talking as though nothing had happened for the past seven-odd minutes.

All Might’s voice sounded next to him and over the speakers, effectively getting the attention of the four boys. “Midoriya, Tokoyami, are you two truly alright?”

“Ah! Sensei, I’m sorry about that! I didn’t know-  _ Ow _ , Katsuki! Don’t just hit me!”

“That’s not what he asked, dumbass.”

Izuku huffed, audible over the comms. “Yes, sensei, we’re fine; just a quirk mishap is all.”

Shouta nodded--not that his students could see it through the cameras. “Good. You and Tokoyami still have five minutes before the trial begins. Don’t make trouble this time, got it?”

“Yes, sensei!”

“Yes, sir!”

\-----

“Tokoyami,” Izuku said to the other boy. The pair were moving the bomb to a more defensible position; a room with no windows away from the staircases. “My quirk could give us a  _ really _ easy win, but I don’t think that's exactly fair to you in this situation.”

“How do you mean,” Tokoyami asked. They set the bomb down at the far end of the room, away from the door.

“Because we escaped The Maze, I can now make one, or I can literally loop the hallways, keeping them walking forever. I can even put them to sleep the second they enter the building--something Hitoshi might like… But my point is: what do  _ you _ want to do?”

Tokoyami put a hand to his chin-  _ beak _ , thinking deeply about the scenario. Izuku didn’t want to be the only one getting the spotlight for their first heroics lesson, so it was only fair to let Tokoyami decide what to do.

“You are correct in assuming that kind of match would not be the most appreciated,” the bird-headed boy starts. “It would be preferred if there were a way to showcase both of our abilities… but the goal is to capture our opposition or wait out the timer, so that is likely not a possibility.”

Izuku hummed as Tokoyami got quiet again, thinking about it as well. Suddenly, he had an idea. “Wait, Tokoyami,” he said, pulling out a few Cards. “What if we did something like…”

\-----

Katsuki glared at the door, upset at the fact he’d been made to wait before he could show Izuku who was truly the better hero. The final results from the entrance exam shocked the blond; if he hadn’t made the half-hearted, split-second decision to go after the zero-pointer and gain a few Rescue Points, Izuku would’ve been in first place and Katsuki in third after that Shitty Hair fucker. God, it was awful.

It also made sure that Katsuki didn’t hold anything back, training harder in the month before UA’s semester began just to ensure his rightful place above the nerd would be assured. Yet, it wasn’t. Just yesterday revealed that Izuku was above him, and that was ridiculous. The nerd hasn’t even had his quirk for a full year, and yet already he’s beaten Katsuki.

The blond shook his head, derailing that train of thought.  _ ‘Auntie said I had to try harder. Being a hero isn’t just being the best, but about saving others. If anything, the exam reaffirmed that fact.’ _

“Bakugou,” Shinsou said from his side. He glared at the boy, but it did nothing. “We can go in. Remember the plan?”

Katsuki scoffed. “Of course I remember the shitty plan; I go on the attack while you distract them, probably getting them in your quirk.  _ Don’t look at me like that, Mind Fuck!” _

Shinsou huffed in amusement. “Sorry, just wasn’t expecting you to be a team player.”

“Whatever.”

“Heroes! You may now enter the building!”

\-----

Izuku had to hold back a laugh when Katsuki and Shinsou came into view. “Hey, guys! So nice of you to drop by; almost thought you were too  _ cool _ to see lil’ ol’ me,” he said with a cheeky grin.

Across the hallway Katsuki was shivering, snow still occupying his hair and covering his shoulders. Hitoshi, on the other hand, looked nonplussed at the frozen room they’d just walked through.  _ ‘His jumpsuit is probably insulated against extremes, likely in case an elemental villain attacks. Smart.’ _

“Bastard!” Katsuki’s yell was very original and readily predicted as the blond flew forward with blasts from his palms. They were smaller, less destructive. Exactly what the room before was meant for: limiting his sweat production, keeping his explosions smaller. “I’ll kill you!”

Izuku ducked under the right hook that Katsuki always starts his fights with, jumping away from the scowling blond. “Go ahead; I’d like to see you try!” He grins as the explosive blond came at him once more, already moving to dodge the swipe of his palms. Only to get slammed with a foot to his side. “Damn,” the greenette gasped. “Never thought you’d learn a new trick, blondie.” 

Dashing to the stairwell where he’d hidden his staff, Izuku pulled out a Card, ready to keep to the plan set by himself and Tokoyami. Katsuki glared at him, wary of the Card to be used while Hitoshi- _Hitoshi was gone._ _‘Oh well, guess Tokoyami gets to have fun, too.’_ “Illusion,” the Cardcaptor said with a smile. Katsuki tensed at the name and Izuku couldn’t help but grin wider.

_ “Blind him.” _

With a flash of golden light and a burst of red from Katsuki, the ribbons that made up Illusion’s magic latched onto the blond’s eyes, shimmering for a second before settling; Katsuki’s eyes were now a kaleidoscope of colors.  _ “Shit! _ This isn’t over, Izuku!” Katsuki yelled, charging right where the greenette was. 

“I know,” he replied, and it was the truth. Even blinded, the explosive boy was a formidable opponent. Growing up with palms that sparked made him highly susceptible to having sunspots in his vision for periods of time; luckily nothing was ever permanent, but it was good practice fighting without sight if the way Katsuki exploded Izuku’s shoulder had anything to say about it.

“But I’m just getting started.”

Katsuki grinned in his direction. “Bring it on.”

\-----

Hitoshi sighed as he continued making his way up the stairs. Behind him came the sounds of explosions and shouting, but ever since they’d walked into the trapped room that left Bakugou frozen, the blond had been adamant about facing Izuku head-on.  _ ‘There went our plan,’ _ the lavender-haired boy thought as he reached the fourth floor.

“Floors one, two, and three were a bust, so onto this one, I guess. God, I hope it isn’t at the top,” He muttered. Quickly checking the various rooms and halls, Shinsou noticed something odd. Coming from far down the hall at the complete opposite side he’d started on, a slight glow could be seen.  _ ‘Actually, now that I think about it, all the windows are dark. _ ’ Looking closer gave insight; every window was covered in...leaves, blocking out most of the sunlight.

Shinsou made his way to the glow. The closer he got to the glowing, the darker it became, the villains breaking the lights, leaving Hitoshi in the dark; it progressively grew darker until he was standing just outside a room--which clearly held the bomb--where only bits of firelight was his aid. 

Taking a glance around the doorframe allowed him to see the objective at the complete other side, probably twenty meters away from his current position.  _ ‘I don’t know what the deal is with the shadows, but I know I can’t take Tokoyami in a straight fight. I’ll have to think of something to antagonize him with.’ _

He continued surveying the room, trying to find the opposing team’s guard. Hidden in the darkest corner of the room--which was achieved by putting a wall next to a burning torch to make the contract that much heavier--was Tokoyami, barely seen by the color of his beak in the deep shadow.

_ ‘Well that’s not ominous at all,’ _ Hitoshi thinks as the building shakes. His eyes narrow when Tokoyami stumbles just a bit from the vibration and uses that as his opportunity to attack. Throwing out his capture weapon in a way that took years of amateur practice with a weighted scarf, Hitoshi wrapped Tokoyami, binding his arms and legs, rendering him immobile.

“It seems I win, villain.” Tokoyami glares at him from the bindings, struggling against the reinforced fiber-metallic weave.

“Do not be so quick to judge, hero, for the darkness surrounds you,” Tokoyami says. It slightly unnerves the lavender-haired boy, but after using his quirk the bird-boy’s expression becomes blank.  _ ‘Guess Izuku never figured it out. Huh.’ _

Pulling out his capture tape, Hitoshi bends down to officially capture the “villain” of the exercise. He’s almost secured his opponent when something  _ big _ rams into him from the side. Gasping at the unexpected assault and loss of air, the hero just barely keeps his shoulder from dislocating when he hits the ground, rolling a few times before stopping.

Looking up, Hitoshi sees something straight from a nightmare. A large, jagged-edged shadow that seemed to shift endlessly even as its glowing eyes stared at him. Large claws were primed, aimed at him in a loose stance.

_ “The darkness has come for you.” _ A glance at Tokoyami shows that the capture weapon was shredded and the boy fully aware of his circumstances once again.

“Well, fuck,” Hitoshi says, really wishing Bakugou had followed him when he had the chance.

\-----

“Sensei,” Ojiro says from the cluster of students watching the battle; “Shouldn't you stop them?” 

It was clear who “they” were, seeing as Bakugou and Midoriya were now fighting in a large, open room, still on the first floor. Midoriya--in a way that still confused Shouta--summoned a bow, letting loose a flurry of accurate arrows on the blond explosion. Bakugou, in retaliation to the attack, let loose another point-blank explosion, blasting both boys away.

“Unless one of them purposely maims or causes permanent damage, they can continue. All Might and I will be sure to stop them before that point, so just make sure you watch and learn what you can.” Even as he says this he can’t help but feel a hint of surprise at the ferocity of their attacks.

Looking at a different screen, Shouta couldn’t help the tiniest of smiles when he saw Shinsou using his capture weapon. Not that anyone could prove it, his face hidden in his scarf as it was. The way Shinsou used the scarf reminded him of his first year of practice; already a step up from what he’d been expecting from the brainwashing boy.

On the other side of that battle, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were using the contrast of light and shadow to rapidly change Dark Shadow’s size, making some of Shinsou’s attacks almost backfire. 

Suddenly there was a shift in the battle; Dark Shadow stopped in its lunge, frozen by some unseen force. Shinsou grinned from his position in the room.

\-----

_ “Grab Tokoyami,” _ Shinsou said suddenly after Dark Shadow stopped responding to commands. With a hint of horror, Fumikage was wrapped by his own quirk;  _ ‘trapped in the void that always calls from the dark,’ _ he thought wryly. Unable to just sit idly by and watch Shinsou secure the bomb, the bird-headed teen pressed on his communicator, patching himself through to his teammate.

“Midoriya, it’s time for plan C!”

\-----

Katsuki was having a blast--pun intended. After maybe four minutes of fighting the nerd blind, he regained his sight. Then, after using his accumulated sweat for a wide-ranged attack that shook the building, he chased Izuku through the building for a short while before stopping in a large room.

Back and forth the battle continued; Katsuki would let off mid-sized explosions that got Izuku to lose his balance, followed by a vicious kick to the side. Then Izuku would follow it up with arrows, to regain his distance and offset the blond, before charging right back in with his sword that  _ somehow didn’t cut him. _

“Wait,  _ what?!” _ Izuku cried out suddenly, just barely ducking a punch from the blond. “Tokoyami…” he mumbled.

“Your fight’s with me, don’t forget that!” Katsuki let loose a blast from both hands, covering the entire area in front of him in fire and smoke. He watched, cautious of the movement of the smoke as to indicate where his opponent would come from next.

“Thanks, Katsuki, for not letting your guard down.” Red eyes widened when he saw Izuku holding a Card out, but nothing could be done before it was activated, the light hurting his eyes.

\-----

“Thanks, Katsuki, for not letting your guard down.” Izuku watched as his blond opponent used his explosions to try and disrupt the activation, but it was already done.  _ “Time!” _

In an instant, the world froze. Katsuki was stuck in the air, explosions still blooming from his palms but not growing any bigger. Looking around, Izuku found that everything had taken on a slight yellowish-green tinge, likely to help indicate that time was currently frozen.

“God, this gives me the creeps,” the Cardcaptor said with a shiver, remembering his two-week battle with Time. “Whatever; I have to hurry. If my encounter with Time was any indication, this will probably take me out of the fight, so I have to end it now.” Speedily, the green-haired boy wrapped Katsuki in capture tape, careful to wrap him in a way that wouldn’t cause injury upon resuming time.

Using another Card like Jump or Dash was risky, and he didn’t need risky right now; he needed to get there before he collapsed. Skipping floors two and three altogether, Izuku ran down the hallway, nearly tripping when he rounded the corner for the room with the bomb. “Tokoyami wasn’t kidding, this  _ was _ the only option.”

His teammate was visibly struggling against his own quirk, unable to escape the large hands that held him. Hitoshi, on the other hand, looked...giddy. As Izuku got closer he could see his newest friend’s smile, proud of his win against Tokoyami.  _ ‘Probably because Aizawa-sensei is watching right now.’ _

Shaking his head--and getting dizzy from the draining of his magic--Izuku pulled out his capture tape. Wrapping Hitoshi’s arms and legs securely, he pulled the lavender-haired boy away from the bomb and lay him on the ground. Knowing he had no more time left, the greenette released his hold on Time, feeling the sudden exhaustion hit him in a wave.

The sounds of the torches burning resumed, as did Tokoyami’s struggling and Hitoshi’s yelp of alarm. He ignored that, though, barely able to hear All Might announce; “The Villain team wins!” Sighing, Izuku let himself fall to the ground, unable to keep himself upright any longer.

\-----

“That was a match well fought!” All Might smiled at the returned four participants. Izuku was leaning heavily against Katsuki--despite the blond’s protests--while Hitoshi and Tokoyami walked behind them in silence. “Now, after having watched them fight it out, can anyone tell me who was the MVP of this match?”

Izuku let himself be lowered into a chair that lined the walls, thanking the blond even as he just walked away. “Wouldn’t it be Midoriya, sensei?” Hagakure, if the floating boots and gloves were any indication.

“Oh? What is your reasoning for this?” If Izuku had to put emotion to his tone, he’d have to say...skeptical, or even...hesitation?

“Well,” the invisible girl said slowly, “isn’t it because he won in the end? He got both heroes and kept the bomb away, so...yeah.”

“Astute observations, if not very well said,” All Might finished with a laugh, one that Aizawa-sensei didn’t appreciate if his wince was to be believed. “Now that  _ that _ is out of the way, let us move onto the next match!” He pulled out two labeled balls; “Team A as the Heroes, and Team I as the villains!”

\-----

This match was with Aoyama and Uraraka--stomach laser and zero gravity, respectively--as the heroes and Shoji and Ashido--dupli-arms and acid, respectively--as the villains.

Izuku watched as Aoyama and Uraraka worked together to reach the bomb room, avoiding acid traps set by Ashido. Upon the two teams clashing, Shoji rapidly closed the distance, attacking the hero duo until his gravity was removed, floating him. Ashido tried defending the bomb valiantly but was defeated due to Aoyama catching her off guard with his laser when Uraraka went for the bomb.

\-----

Next up were Iida and Hagakure as the heroes, and Jiro and Kouda defending as the villains. It was an interesting matchup, in Izuku’s opinion; Hagakure’s invisibility was targeted by Jiro and her enhanced hearing, while Iida was being chased by a swarm of rats and cockroaches throughout the building. 

It ended with the heroes as the victor, seeing as Iida just sprinted past both villains, capturing the bomb.

\-----

Kaminari and Yaoyorozu were the villains of the next match, defending against the heroes Asui and Todoroki. Utilizing her creation quirk, Yaoyorozu set plenty of traps, nearly covering every intersection with something. Kaminari was given a large metal net so he could aim his electric discharge without hitting his teammate. Quite clever, in Izuku’s opinion.

Todoroki, upon the start of the match, froze the entire building in one fell swoop, startling everyone. That kind of plan would have been great against mostly anybody, but he was against a girl who could make anything, so his ice was promptly melted using a self-made flamethrower.

When Todoroki thought the building was secure he walked calmly inside. He was captured within seconds by the traps, something that worked even in the ice. Asui, who has a mutation quirk that gives her the characteristics of a frog, had to concede due to the freezing temperatures. Villains won.

\-----

The final match of the class was between Sero and Sato as the villains and Ojiro and Kirishima as the heroes.

It was pretty even, considering Sero’s tape traps were cut through by Kirishima’s hardened skin, Ojiro could keep up with Sato even when in his sugar-enhanced state, and Sero and Kirishima were semi-evenly matched--not accounting the fact Sero was punching quirk-hardened skin every time, hurting himself.

It was seemingly about to end when Ojiro was captured by Sero’s tape, and then Sato’s capture tape; both villains advancing on the lone hero. Kirishima, however, had a hidden trick that nobody was expecting. Sparking with violent red lights, the redhead sent a punch forward, blowing a hole in the side of the building, slamming the villains against the wall due to the force.

With a broken arm, Kirishima claimed victory for the heroes.

\-----

“Man, I’m exhausted.” Izuku sat in his chair, watching as his classmates talked about the different matches. “I think I could go to sleep and wake up next year, and then I’d  _ still _ ask for more time.”

Hitoshi, who had followed him from the locker room, snorted. “Yeah, you look like you need it. You almost passed out three times while the rest of the matches went on.” The greenette smiled at his friend, even when Katsuki blindsided him with a slap to the back.

“The fuck was that final move, Izuku,” the blond said with his signature growl.

Izuku blinked. “You don’t remember?” Katsuki’s confused glare was answer enough, leading the Cardcaptor to remember  _ why _ the blond didn’t remember Time. “Oh, right, sorry. Uh, I guess you could say it was this…?” Pulling out the Card, Izuku let his not-friend see just what caused his team’s downfall.

“Bro! You can change  _ time?!” _ Kirishima yelled suddenly causing the greenette to jump. His shout got the attention of the rest of the class--those that hadn’t left yet--and brought them over.

Kaminari looked the most shocked, mouth open in an “O” shape. “Dude, that’s OP!” Ashido and Hitoshi nodded in agreement.

“O-Oh, well-”

“Wait,” Sero interrupted, “what about that thing your quirk did before your match; something about a maze?” Kouda, Yaoyorozu, and Kirishima perked up at that, voicing their want for clarification. A few others as well, like Jiro, Shoji, and Uraraka, but they only nodded.

“Ah...how should I put this,” Izuku said, rubbing at the back of his neck; “I have to gain my Card’s ‘approval’ before I get to use them, so when we disappeared, Maze was just… challenging me. If that makes sense…?” The look on their faces told him that it didn’t. “My quirk is weirdly sentient, with Kero acting as a companion, and the Cards having personalities, among other things.”

Kaminari suddenly got in Izuku’s face; “What other OP things can you do?!”

“Oh, uh- well, I don’t know what you’d consider ‘OP’, but I can make illusions...uh, create things, control three of the four elements, summon an unbreakable shield and a sword that can slice through anything...then there’s the time thing, and I can get super strength...” The greenette stopped listing things off, looking at his classmates.

The surrounding 1-A members had taken a step back--besides Katsuki, because he knew about most of those--and were looking at him with wide eyes. 

“ _ Dude,” _ Kaminari said, suddenly serious.  _ “Are you God?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! You made it to the end!  
> (I really wanted Kaminari to make some funny comment about Izu's abilities, and this one just fit his character the most!)  
> I'm sure that's not how you guys thought the battle trials should have gone; probably wanting Izuku to show more of his OP powers off, taking on both Hitoshi and Katsuku without faltering, but that's not who he is. He likes helping people, and to help Tokoyami in this chapter, he needed to let him show off in a fight! Hitoshi just so happened to be the best bet! (P.S. Tokoyami, I love him, but /man/ is he hard to characterize correctly! I feel like I didn't do him justice...)  
> Plan A: Izuku keeps the two heroes occupied for ten minutes, possibly winning. Plan B: Izuku takes Katsuki, and Tokoyami takes Hitoshi, keeping them occupied and possibly winning. Plan C: Tokoyami is incapacitated and the heroes are about to win, so Izuku uses Time to win the match.
> 
> I wanted to do something a little different with the differing perspectives, so I hope that went over well enough. Tell me your opinion, and I'll either keep that or stop it.
> 
> Battle trial teams were decided by lotto--except Toko, Izu, Kats, and Hito--and then the matchups were also decided by lotto. Winners were decided based on little things, like Ura and Aoy's long-range and short-range team up, Iida's probable training from his family, Yaoyorozu being a beast, and Todoroki being a self-assured jerk, and Kirishima holding OFA.
> 
> I think...that's everything that I wanted to add at the end here, so for now this is goodbye!  
> Remember to comment on your favorite parts/parts you wish were touched on more/things that you would like to see! I love you all!
> 
> See you next time!


	13. When Cards Meet the Wind...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday started on an okay note for Izuku. Of course, this is Izuku we're talking about, so it doesn't stay that way for long.
> 
> Thursday is much the same if a lot more chaotic. Nothing that he can't handle.
> 
> But why can he not remember what he was dreaming about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! It's me, Myven, back at it again for a chapter update! I'm three hours early, but that's beside the point because my sleep schedule is wonky, so have at it!
> 
> I'm going to preface this with a note:  
> Why didn't you guys warn me that xxxHOLiC and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle were sad?! I went into it thinking that it would be really good in the way that Clamp makes all of their works, but instead, I got hit with feelings and moral arguments?! I literally /cried/ reading the last volumes of Tsubasa! Not to mention my heart hurt for Watanuki at the end of xxxHOLiC! (Thank goodness I bought the four available volumes of xxxHOLiC: Rei, am I right?) (They get here in a week, so... Yay! More heart-hurting manga! (My shelves are getting full...))
> 
> Okay! Stepping away from that! I was writing this chapter and I was suddenly hit with a plot bunny that decided to take over the next chapter, but then I realized that it would work so much better for me if I combined the two! So, if you feel a sudden shift in style or mood halfway through? It's because I merged two chapters into one! You're welcome!  
> The chapter summary is vague because I had no idea how to properly preface this chapter, so this is what you get! The chapter title is a small stroke of genius that hit me just before posting this, so I hope you enjoy it just as I did!
> 
> Um... I don't really have much more to add to this beginning note other than this--because AO3 user PikaPower99 pointed it out--but if you search "Episode 43 Battle Costume CCS" exactly into Google, the first image is the inspo for Izuku's costume! Just to help give a better visual for their heroics classes...hope it helps.
> 
> Anywho! Let's get onto the newest installment of Cardcaptor Izuku; 8,493 words--23 pages--of our favorite green bean! (Technically the longest chapter so far, but only if you don't count the first one. Which- I don't, because that is an outlier and will likely never happen again.) Happy reading and I'll see you after!

Inko hummed along with the radio, her foot bobbing from her seat at the table. Izuku was up, doing the dishes; her son was getting the most out of his quirk, using Float to move the dirty dishes through the Bubbles-summoned suds, and having Windy and Firey dry them. She didn’t like having Firey out in the house but ever since the entrance exam Izuku has been adamant about teaching the Card the meaning of “restraint”. So far they had only sacrificed three dish towels for the sake of training.

“So, Izuku,” the mother says suddenly; “Your teacher called just before you got home saying that Kero needed to be present every day.” The younger greenette jolted in surprise. “I thought we agreed you’d both be going every day anyway?”

“Kero had something he couldn’t avoid,” Izuku replied. It was a weak excuse, but the only one available to him. “And it’s not like anything happened today,” he said with a shrug, looking away from his mother’s disbelieving stare.

“Really? Because your teacher told me you and another classmate--and I quote--‘disappeared just before an exercise without warning.’ Tell me,” she said, folding her arms, “how that wouldn’t have been avoided with Kero?”

Izuku sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get out of this one now. “In my defense, it was completely unnoticeable until  _ after _ I stepped through it. Kero being there might have just added another layer of panic if he wasn’t with me.” Inko wasn’t swayed if her look was anything to go off of.

“Just make sure he goes to school and we won’t have a problem. Can’t have him eating everything in the fridge while we’re gone.”

“Right,” Izuku nods.

\-----

“I still can’t believe Aizawa narc'd on us like that,” Kero grumbled. “I thought the agreement was more ‘obligatory’, not ‘contractual’. If I’d known that I wouldn’t have agreed!” The lion plush glared at the classroom’s front board, clearly envisioning the tired pro getting the punishment he deserved. “Too bad I can’t stay mad at her,” the plush sighed.

Izuku laughed at the admission. “More like if you stay mad you get fewer treats, no?” He laughed more when his companion let out a scandalized gasp.

“No! I’ll have you know,” Kero said, getting in the greenette’s face, “that your mother is a  _ gem _ and I wish nothing but happiness for her! ...It just so happens that she’s great at making sweets.” Izuku sweatdropped at Kero’s...declaration of love for his mother.

“Right…” At that moment Katsuki and Hitoshi arrived; “Hey guys! What’s up?” The blond boy rolled his eyes at the greeting, taking the time to lay his head back onto Izuku’s desk, nearly crushing Kero in the process.

“Watch it, bomb bitch!”

“Yeah, whatever,” was Katsuki’s reply. “The Hag’s being moodier than normal, so I had to deal with her nagging this morning. She almost kept me from the train with her stupid-ass worrying.  _ Fucking annoying,” _ he bit out. The green-haired Cardcaptor gave him a questioning glance, about to ask when Hitoshi spoke up from behind.

“My dad was the same way. Wouldn’t let me leave the house without at  _ least _ five warnings and four promises to come home earlier than normal.” The brainwasher sighed deeply, letting his upper body fall forward so he was partially engrossed into Izuku’s space. “And then my  _ mom _ came in, telling me not to brush off a villain alert just because I’m training to be a hero. I love them, but damn is that a bit much.”

“Okay… What?” Izuku looked at the two collapsed teens in confusion. “What villain alert? How bad could it be that  _ Auntie _ was worried, and yet my mom never said anything about it?”

His friend and could-be friend looked at him in disbelief. Hitoshi spoke up first. “You didn’t hear anything about what happened early this morning?” Izuku shook his head resolutely.

“No.  _ Someone _ decided it would be a good idea to unplug my phone charger so he could charge his controller.” He gave Kero a pointed look; the lion plush just turned away, playing innocent. The greenette shook his head; “Whatever. You can tell me now.”

“Some fucker managed to vanish sixteen people around four in the morning.” Katsuki pulled out his phone, bringing up the article to show the greenette. “They sent out an emergency broadcast at five, and then again at seven; shitty police couldn’t find any leads other than how they disappeared.” The blond got Izuku to scroll down further to the news clip.

[“This morning, while the sun was still just barely rising, a villain attack occurred. Starting at four twenty-seven, a reported sixteen people were caught in the scheme of an unidentified villain. Across the Midori Ward, the sixteen people of varying ages, quirks, and occupations were witnessed to seemingly “fade” just before vanishing without a trace.

“As of right now, the police have released no new information about the supposed villain attack that has taken place, only reassuring the public that the villain will not go unpunished and the victims returned home soon.

“We have been given permission to play footage of some of the disappearances in the hopes that the quirk in play might be identified by our viewers. Please be advised that this footage might be disturbing and has not been edited in any way.”]

Izuku and Kero watched as the newscaster disappeared, replaced by the black and white footage of a street camera. The pair of magic users’ eyes widened as they saw four people walking down various streets and sidewalks simply fade and vanish; the only indication that they might have been there in the first place was the shocked expressions of the other pedestrians.

“That’s...that’s awful. Sixteen people at once,” Izuku said softly.  _ ‘Explains why Kaminari wasn’t his usual self this morning.’ _ “They said it happened across the Ward, but how far apart exactly?”

Hitoshi shrugged. “That’s one of the problems with the whole thing; if it were one villain’s quirk then it would’ve been too much strain, taking people kilometers away from one another. But if it were a group, how much of a coincidence would it be that they had such similar quirks?”

“It’s a real shit-show,” Katsuki said in his usual, gruff manner. “And until that fucking  _ villain _ is stopped,  _ I _ have to listen to the Hag whine about check-in times and paths home from the station.”

“I wonder why my mom didn’t say anything…” The greenette trailed off, eyes catching on the replaying news clip and the lion plush still watching;  _ ‘I’m surprised Katsuki didn’t take his phone back yet.’ _ “Kero? What’s wrong?”

The golden guardian didn’t say anything for a moment, but after the clip ended again his head dropped. “Izuku…”   
  


“Yeah?”

The lion plush turned to his companion, looking him dead in the eye. “It’s a Card, Erase. Your quirk is the one that got those people.” Izuku blinked at the plush. Katsuki and Hitoshi did the same, the lavender-haired teen’s jaw-dropping open just a bit.

_ “Midoriya’s quirk did that?!” _ Izuku jumped at Sero’s shout; the rest of the class stopped their quiet chatter as they all looked at their wide-eyed classmate. The green-haired teen was just about to open his mouth when Aizawa-sensei rose from his cocooned position on the floor.

“Midoriya,” the pro said, silencing anybody that was still talking. “Bring your cards and come with me,” he said, stalking out of the room. Izuku fought the embarrassed blush that crept up his face, quickly grabbing the Sakura Book and his holster as he followed his homeroom teacher.

\-----

“So…” Kero started. Hitoshi and Katsuki turned to the plush; “Do you think they noticed I’m not there?”

The trio ignored Kaminari’s awed gasp; “God giveth and he taketh away. ” Jirou hit the blond on the back of the head, snickering slightly to herself.

\-----

“Why is it that whenever something weird happens around here it’s always you, Midoriya?” Detective Tsukauchi shook his head in exasperation, waving Aizawa and Izuku through the police station and into his office.

“Honestly, detective? I’ve asked myself the same thing.” Aizawa gave the greenette a contemplative look as he observed Kero casually lay down on the detective’s desk and Izuku shamelessly flop into a chair. “At least you know it’s not an  _ actual _ villain, right? Small mercies.”

The detective snorted, taking a quick gulp of his coffee. “Thank goodness,” he said dryly.

“I wasn’t aware you two knew each other, or that this had happened before. Care to explain?” Eraserhead’s blunt, emotionless tone had the three pausing in their familiar movements; Izuku and the detective shared a look before the greenette sighed in resignation.

“My quirk manifested violently almost a year ago, and detective Tsukauchi was the one to help clear the air of any possible foul play. Ever since then my quirk likes to make itself known through various attacks on my person, getting the police involved, and eventually Tsukauchi himself. Didn’t we explain this yesterday…?”

“Don’t listen to the kid,” Tsukauchi said, waving his hand. “Midoriya has been coming into my office on a semi-regular basis ever since I’ve met him. Also,” he added almost as an afterthought, “don’t play against him with cards. I don’t know how he does it with his baby face-” Izuku gave an offended shout, which was ignored “-but he’s got a fantastic poker face. Nearly took Tajima’s entire bonus two months ago.”

“Fascinating,” Aizawa said blandly. “We still need to figure out what to do in regards to this…  _ Erase _ . _ ” _

Kero spoke up this time, letting the greenette sit back a bit. “Well, we can’t exactly pinpoint The Erase in the entire city, what with the area being much too large and Erase’s ability letting it travel nearly undetected unless close by, so we need to try something that I find fun!” The golden guardian pulled the Sakura Book from the green-haired Cardcaptor’s bag, using his own brand of magic to float the Cards into a stack face-down on the detective’s desk.

“Izuku,” the plush calls; being waved over, he gets up, standing with Kero at the desk to see the Sakura Cards. “To help you with The Erase’s challenge, you’re going to do a reading!”

Aizawa, Tsukauchi, and Izuku all sweatdropped at the declaration. “Kero… Do you really think this will work?” Izuku can’t say that, while magic is real, this is more of superstition with the other two watching, so he tried to put that all into his eyes. When Kero nods in understanding, he sighs. “Alright, what do I need to do?”

Shuffling the Cards in a pile with his left hand, the green-haired Cardcaptor thought about The Erase. Following Kero’s instructions, he piled them together and then split them into five piles, and then put them back together.

“Great. Now do it one more time,” Kero said.

“Again? All of it?”

“Yes,” the guardian replied, and so he did. Going through the motions of the first five steps again, Izuku stopped once he finished. “We’re going to a Sun reading because we need specifics about our problem.”

“I...guess that makes sense,” the greenette said. Following Kero’s instruction once more, the Cardcaptor counted every sixth Card, putting it in the position that the lion plush pointed to; after the ninth Card was settled, Izuku was left with eight Cards in a circular pattern and the final one positioned in the bottom right, away from the others.

“So, now that you’ve positioned them all, it’s time for the actual reading!”

Detective Tsukauchi, who had left to grab more coffee for himself and Aizawa, glanced at the two magic users. “And how exactly will this work? It won’t give us a precise area--that’d be absurd--but we’ll get an idea, yes?”

“That’s the goal,” Kero replied.

Shaking his head, Izuku flipped the first position Card.  _ The Firey. _ Kero hummed but didn’t elaborate, only telling his companion to continue.  _ The Sweet. _ Position three:  _ The Sword. _ Four:  _ The Voice. _ Kero grumbled something, but Izuku went on. Five:  _ The Maze. _ Six:  _ The Sleep. _ Seven:  _ The Time. _ Eight:  _ The Storm. _ Kero stopped Izuku from flipping the final Card, giving the spread a thorough look before finally revealing the meaning.

“Positions one and two are to help you understand how your opposition feels about you in contrast to the truth. In this case, The Erase believes you to be arrogant, brash, and prideful, but The Sweet reveals that you are almost the exact opposite.” The greenette looked at Tsukauchi when the detective made a noise that sounded distinctly like a snort.

“Three and four are your current problem and that problem’s solution; The Sword being a little on the nose in its reference to the attack, and The Voice telling you to either talk it out, speak your mind, or reveal yourself.”

“That’s a pretty big interpretation,” Izuku muttered.

Kero sweatdropped. “It isn’t an exact science, you know. Anyway, five and six are your obstacle and key help for overcoming the problem… This is so on the nose it’s kind of scary,” the lion plush said quietly. “The Maze is likely talking about the entire Ward being in the way, while The Sleep... _ probably _ is talking about your sleep-deprived teacher here.”

Aizawa grunted behind the duo and Izuku felt his face grow warm. Wanting this to be over sooner rather than later, Izuku asked; “Seven, eight, and nine?”

“Seven is your warning; The Time reminding us of the fact that, if not sealed soon, Erase will permanently take away the people that it erased.” Izuku grimaced at that while Tsukauchi and Aizawa shared a look. “Eight is for immediately after; The Storm telling you that after this is done, your challenges will either get harder or come faster. Flip the last Card,” Kero says.

Position nine:  _ The Windy. _

“This is what I was afraid of.” Izuku gives his companion a wary look, to which Kero tries to reassure him; “The ninth position is a warning for the future as a basic outlook. Windy is the Card that represents transmission, as to how all communications have to travel through the wind, and since it represents the future, then this means that the rest of the Cards know about you but have the wrong impression.”

\-----

“That was interesting,” Aizawa says through the sudden silence, “but it does not help us in this scenario. We wanted a location, but instead got a warning for future challenges; something that, while nice, doesn’t exactly do us any good right now.” 

“Well, Kero did say that one of the solutions is to just- go out there,” Izuku said. “The Erase should come to attack me, but since, Aizawa-sensei,  _ you  _ are my ‘key help’, maybe because your quirk is similar, it could cancel as Endeavor did with Firey?”

The detective gave the greenette a look, blinking. “You never told me your quirk and  _ Endeavor _ fought, Midoriya.”

“I didn’t?” He thought back to when they’d first gotten into a routine. “Huh, I thought I had. Oh well,” he shrugged, turning back to his teacher. “But I do think the best bet is having Aizawa-sensei use his quirk on The Erase. It just makes sense.”

The aforementioned pro hero sighed into his capture scarf. “You figured out who I am after three days?”

The Cardcaptor sweatdropped as Kero snorted. “No, Izuku figured it out in  _ two seconds. _ ” Izuku bruised his face in his hands, trying to ignore the rush of blood to his face, no doubt showing his embarrassment.

“Right,” Aizawa said blankly. “Since it’s the only real plan we have, we’ll give it a shot.”

\-----

Katsuki glared at the person sitting across from him. Kirishima just smiled right back, quite literally ignoring the menacing aura coming from the blond as he continued chatting animatedly with Shinsou.  _ ‘Fucking traitor,’ _ he thought as he watched the brainwashing teen smirk at him from across the table.  _ ‘Ass.’ _

“Shitty hair,” the explosive blond interrupted for the third time. Kirishima’s eyes lit up, giving Katsuki that ridiculous grin of his. “Why the hell are you sitting here?”

“Because!”

Katsuki gripped his chopsticks tighter, nearly cracking them.“That’s not a  _ reason, _ dumbass! Leave if you’re just going to say that!” His intimidation of the redhead wasn’t working, and for some reason, he gave Katsuki a look that was painfully like a certain green-haired boy.

“Come on, I just wanted-!”

“Katsuki, are you being mean again?” The blond swore internally when he saw the green-haired boy in the flesh; having both of them sitting at his table for lunch would be absolute torture.  _ ‘No doubt how Izuku felt in middle school. Or every day after he got his quirk. Or when he has to sit behind you-’ _ Katsuki cut himself off. Thinking like that wasn’t helping anything.

“I’m not. Shitty hair won’t leave me alone! It’s annoying!”

Izuku sighed, setting his bowl of katsudon down next to the blond’s serving of curry, spiced to the max. “Kirishima, Katsuki here is a baby when it comes to social interaction. If you want to be his friend, you have to take it slow and talk with him in class first.” Katsuki exhaled loudly when shitty hair beamed.  _ “Or you threaten his future as a hero. That’s what  _ I _ did, anyway.” _

If Katsuki had done his characteristic yelling at the “baby” comment, he’d have never heard Izuku’s whisper. Glancing around the table quickly revealed that no one else had heard him. He looked at his lunch, not feeling nearly as hungry as before after that reminder.

“But,” Izuku said again, “if you’re  _ my _ friend, you might have a better chance if Hitoshi is any indication.” The green and lavender-haired boys snorted at the comment. “Also, Katsuki,” The blond looked to Izuku from the corner of his eye; “Would you care if Tokoyami, Kouda, and Shouji joined us tomorrow for lunch? I’ll try to keep them to ‘my’ side so you still have room for Kirishima and any others.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t expect me to play nice if they’re idiots.” The explosive blond looked back at his curry, glaring before continuing to eat like before.

“Wait a second!” Shitty hair said a few moments later. Katsuki found him pointing at Izuku with wide eyes. “You and Aizawa-sensei left before school started after Kero said this morning’s villain attack was your quirk, but you’re trying to make it seem like nothing!” Izuku sweatdropped. “Don’t leave us hanging, man! What happened?”

“Yeah, Izuku,” Mindfuck said from across the green-haired boy. “Tell us what happened. We’re  _ friends _ , right?”

Izuku gave mindfuck a glare that was both angry and resigned. “U-Um… Aizawa-sensei took me to the police precinct, where we made a plan to capture the Card before anyone else was erased. It was really just me walking out for Erase to target me, but then Aizawa-sensei using his quirk to ‘counteract’ mine, keeping her unable to vanish me. 

“It was cool watching sensei’s quirk in action, and the way his hair floats up whenever he activates...” Katsuki tuned out Izuku’s hero fanboy ramblings. Just over a year ago, he would have blasted the greenette for his muttering, or even just for being so close. Now, he lets the teen ramble--neither liking or disliking the sound--just letting it happen. He scoffs internally.  _ ‘If my past self saw me doing this he might have tried to kill me.’ _

Red eyes slide over to watch Izuku talk animatedly about Aizawa-sensei’s quirk; the teen notices, giving him a small grin.  _ ‘Probably helps that Auntie nearly beat the reality of my actions into me.’ _ He looks around the table, watching shitty hair and mindfuck laugh at something Izuku said.

\-----

After having been led away by Aizawa-sensei before classes even officially started, Izuku had to give a summary of what happened more than a few times. Thankfully the class was finally seated, waiting for their next heroics lesson.  _ ‘If it’s anything like yesterday…’ _ the greenette let his thoughts trail off with a quiet sigh. 

This time, instead of All Might bursting through the door with no fanfare other than his iconic voice, Aizawa-sensei came in from the hall like he wanted to be anywhere but in the classroom. “All Might and I will meet you at Ground Beta after you change into your costumes.” The tired pro pressed the button to open their cases; “You have ten minutes to change and be down there. Dismissed.”

Izuku walked to the cubbies, pulling out his and Hitoshi’s costume cases when a feathered hand landed on his shoulder. Turning revealed a wide-eyed Tokoyami. “Is something the matter, Tokoyami?”

The bird-headed student glanced at something just over the green-haired teen’s shoulder, glaring slightly before bringing his attention back to Izuku. “No, I do not believe so.” Still, the shorter teen made no move to release Izuku’s shoulder; a pointed look quickly solved that problem, and soon Izuku was off to the changing room with Hitoshi and Tokoyami in tow. Katsuki tried to leave earlier to avoid Kirishima, but somehow the redhead managed to catch up with him.

\-----

“I don’t think it’s fair,” Hitoshi said suddenly. Izuku paused in his action of putting on his armored thigh-highs. Giving the brainwashing teen a confused look, he elaborated; “I know it’s not on purpose--and not anything good, either--but your quirk is quite literally giving you extra practice in terms of combat and problem-solving.” Hitoshi pulled on his facemask, clicking it into place, “It’s unfair the level of experience you have.”

“Oh…” Izuku blinked. “I never thought of it like that,” he said. The greenette put the finishing touches of his costume together, locking his holster into place and summoning his staff. “But if I had to say, it evens out if you realize that my plans to deal with the Cards are mainly just flailing around or even blind luck.”

Hitoshi shook his head, closing his locker as he was fully dressed. Izuku copied his movements a moment later, waiting by the door for Tokoyami to join them on the walk to their lesson. Looking at the bird-headed boy brought a silent confusion to Izuku; Tokoyami was steadily glaring at the corner, clearly unnerved by the way Dark Shadow was peeking out of his cloak periodically.

_ ‘I only became his friend today. If he wants to talk, then he’ll talk. That’s a friend thing, right? Right.’ _

\-----

Izuku felt uneasy. They were paired off and stationed down one of the largest roads in the area; Aizawa-sensei told them to spar and get a feel for the movement that was required, practicing their quirks against one another in a semi-controlled environment. That wasn’t the issue. No, the issue was, Izuku felt like he was being watched the entire time.

During his fight against Tokoyami--because the bird-headed teen asked to be partnered up--he constantly had his attention pulled away from the advancing Dark Shadow, nearly getting taken out of the ring multiple times. After the fifth such time, Tokoyami apparently had enough. “Midoriya-kun, what about that building has captured your eye as it has?”

The building in question was a standard four-story office building. “Sorry, Tokoyami,” the greenette apologized, rubbing the back of his head; “I don’t know why, but I can’t stop myself from looking at it. Almost like...like someone’s in there, waiting…”

His partner was quiet, staring at Izuku through the silence that followed. The green-haired Cardcaptor sweatdropped in embarrassment. “Sorry, that was probably really weird, huh?”

“No,” Tokoyami said plainly. “For some reason, I feel the same. Dark Shadow and I have been feeling unease ever since your return during lunch. Something lurking in the darkness has its eye on you and has been creeping ever closer. It is quite unsettling to listen to.”

Izuku felt a shiver run down his back and he jumped forward, turning around quickly. Nothing. “Well...maybe it’s my quirk again,” he said with a shrug. “I’d ask Kero but I don’t think he’s happy with me right now.”

The pair looked at where the lion plush was sitting, arms crossed, on the ground next to Aizawa-sensei and All Might-sensei; Izuku had accidentally gotten him erased during their encounter with The Erase, and was evidently still upset.

Tokoyami nodded sagely. “That is understandable. You cannot control the darkness, merely-  _ Midoriya!” _

Izuku felt himself freeze up when the same chill from before came back with a vengeance. 

\-----

“Young Midoriya… How do you feel about him, now that you’ve had a few days to get to know him?” All Might was standing watch over his students, watching as they started their first official spar of the year. Aizawa was right beside the number one pro, staring impassively.

“He’s certainly interesting, that problem child.” Shouta sighed. “You heard the report I gave after the disappearing people case was solved, about how it was Midoriya’s quirk?” All Might nodded. “As I said, for some reason my quirk works on his individual components, but not Midoriya himself. Add in the fact his quirk components seem to attack at random… Just makes for a tough time.”

All Might didn’t make any comment after that, so the two teachers continued watching their students. Shouta’s eyes narrowed when he saw the object of their conversation barely dodge an attack from Dark Shadow. Midoriya and Tokoyami then started to talk, with the greenette seeming to be wary of something in the office building everyone was next to. Shouta glanced at Tokoyami, noting that he seemed to sense that same thing that was setting Midoriya off.

_ ‘Another challenge?’ _ The pro thought, looking to Keroberos.  _ ‘He doesn’t seem to notice anything, so it’s likely-’ _

_ “Midoriya!” _ Tokoyami’s shout brought Shouta from his musings. Dark Shadow stretched quickly as it intercepted the black strands that threatened to encase Midoriya, pulling the greenette away.

\-----

“I’m home!” Izuku called into the apartment. The door closed behind him as he walked into the kitchen, finding his mother cooking at the stove.

“Welcome back, Izuku,” she said with a smile. “The okonomiyaki will be ready soon, so why don’t you change and get ready to eat?”

Kero flew speedily to the green-haired mother, smiling wide. “Is mine modanyaki? Did you remember the modanyaki?” His voice and body language showed just how excited he was for his favorite food, something that Inko had planned for.

Laughing at his excitement, Inko stepped to the side to show the lion plush that the yakisoba was already made and waiting. “As if I’d give you anything but,” she said with a grin. Kero’s cheers were loud and the two Midoriya’s couldn’t help but snort at Kero’s childlike joy.

“Did anything interesting happen today? Oh! What about that vanishing villain, the one from this morning; did any of your teachers say anything about it?” Izuku paused, his chopsticks halfway from his plate to his mouth. “I heard the back end of one of the news stations reporting the issue resolved just before lunch! It’s rather intriguing, yeah?”

“Actually, that villain was this.” Izuku pulled The Erase from his thigh holster--something Aizawa-sensei said to keep on him until he went to bed--and showed the Card to his mother. “And Kero taught me how to do a bit of cartomancy, which helped Tsukauchi and I a lot in the capture.”

Inko gasped. “You mean,  _ your _ cards did that?” Izuku nodded. “But, I thought Kero said your cards would only try and attack you? Why would they do that to other people?” The younger Midoriya shrugged, taking a quick bite of his food.

“Well, if we go off of what my reading said earlier, then it’s because the Cards have the wrong impression of me,” he said simply. “Which makes sense, because I was attacked in the middle of another heroics lesson.” He pulled out The Shadow. “It was really interesting because Tokoyami--remember, the boy with the Dark Shadow quirk?--was somehow able to  _ understand _ Shadow.

“Not nearly as fun as it sounds, when he told me they were angry and wanted to hurt me. But,” he said quickly to calm his mother, “I’m fine, and with Dark Shadow’s help--because quirks similar to my abilities somehow interfere--it was sealed without much more fuss.” That’s ignoring the impromptu shouting match that Dark Shadow, Tokoyami, and The Shadow had. Izuku fought the blush that tried to creep up his cheeks at the memory.

“Was there anything... _ not _ threatening to your safety that you found interesting today?” Inko had to fight to keep a frown off her face when Izuku had to think for longer than a few seconds.

“I guess...maybe the fact that one of our classmates is trying to befriend Katsuki? Or even the fact that Shouji, Kouda, and Tokoyami somehow get along well enough with him that Katsuki didn’t yell at them while walking to the station?” The Midoriya matriarch gave a small smile at the news.

Yes, that is interesting indeed.

\-----

_ Butterflies, flying in a room decorated in a traditional Japanese style. Their purple wings seemed more like an elaborate drawing or embroidered cloth; even as their wings flapped they seemed to unravel or unwind at the edges like they were falling apart at the seams. Smoke. The curling gas slowly rose from underneath, undulating and shifting slowly as the butterflies flitted through it.  _

_ Slowly, the smoke filled the entire area, the butterflies coming completely undone, disappearing into long strands of ribbons. Just as slowly as when the smoke began filling the room, it faded out, leaving the previously black scene to morph into a garden. _

_ The tall glass walls let in streams of sunlight as a pair of birds flew above. A glass table and pair of white wicker chairs sat in the very center, on all sides bordered by green bushes and blooming flowers. _

_ Suddenly, the image changes to the perspective of sitting in one of the chairs. Across the table--which now has a tea set and cookies set upon it--sits a girl. With brown hair that sits just above her shoulders and bright green eyes, the girl smiles warmly. She wore a middle school uniform, the blazer sitting on the back of her chair. _

_ The girl opens her mouth- _

\-----

“Don’t worry… Everything will be alright.” The greenette blinked the remaining sleep from his eyes, finding himself to be lying in bed.

“What was that?” Kero appeared in the corner of Izuku’s vision, his expression concerned as he looked over his green-haired Cardcaptor. The teen sat up slowly, bringing a hand to his head. “How do you know that?” Kero gave a longing glance to the Sakura Book, remembering his previous master.

“Just something from a dream, I guess…” A glance at his alarm clock showed that he was to get up soon. Already awake, Izuku made his way to get dressed and ready for school. Kero flew beside him.

“Do you remember what happened?” Kero asked hurriedly. The young Cardcaptor shook his head and the lion plush sighed, pulling on his own uniform. “That’s too bad… Next time you should try to remember your dreams. Clow Reed and Sakura both were dreamseers, having the ability to see bits of the future through their dreams.”

The Cardcaptor and golden guardian greeted Inko in the kitchen. “What are you two talking about so early in the morning?” The two Midoriya’s moved the plates of omurice to the table as Kero set out their utensils.

“Kero was telling me that my dreams might have a hint of prophecy in the future,” the younger Midoriya replied easily. “That would be amazing, if it weren’t for the fact that I rarely ever remember my dreams, today being no different.” A particularly harsh scoop of the rice punctuated his disappointment and Inko smiled.

“That’s too bad,” she said with a sly grin. “Now you just have to be clueless like the rest of us mere mortals.” The older woman laughed at her son’s sudden choking on rice.

“Mom! You can’t just say that,” Izuku gasped out.

Inko smiled. “Sorry, sorry. I just think that your classmates are so funny, even if it takes my son a full day to tell me about them properly.” 

The younger Midoriya accepted the comment at face value, letting the small family finish their meal in their regular manner. With a quick goodbye and promise to talk after the day was over, Izuku and Kero left the Midoriya apartment. 

\-----

“Woah! What’s all this?!” Kero’s cry of surprise came from the fact that a large group of people was hoarding the front gates of UA. “Is that brain-boy?” Izuku scoffed quietly at the nickname Kero gave Hitoshi. Trying to see what the plush had seen, the greenette stood on his tiptoes.

The lavender-haired teen was indeed in the middle of the crowd of people. A half-dozen microphones were being shoved into his face as the--newly revealed reporters--yelled countless questions.

“What is it like having All Might as a teacher?!” “Tell us: what’s All Might like in the flesh?!” “Is the Symbol of Peace as great a teacher as he is a pro hero?!”

Hitoshi looked very uncomfortable at the crowding and questions, silently making his way through the reporters with a scowl on his face. Kero and Izuku watched the exchange silently; when the reporters lost Hitoshi to UA’s grounds they collectively paused. In a move that was quite frightening to the magic duo, the reporters surrounded them within seconds.

All sorts of microphones and cameras were shoved into the greenette’s face, but with determination and countless utterances of “I have to get to class,” he finally made it through. Leaning against a tree, Izuku sighed deeply at his survival.

“Vultures, all of them.” Aizawa-sensei came walking down the path to the gate, glancing at the greenette. “Midoriya, you should head to class now. I don’t appreciate tardiness.” Izuku nodded to his homeroom teacher, passing the pro in his haste to distance himself from the soul-sucking crowd screeching about All Might.

\-----

The bell rang loudly, indicating it was the beginning of the school day and the start of homeroom announcements. Kouda had just laid down when Aizawa-sensei entered the room.

Walking to the podium, the teacher sighed deeply. “If you ever happen to have a problem with pushy reporters, calmly remind them that you are all  _ minors _ and to interview you or use your image is  _ illegal _ without your guardian’s consent.” The class sweatdropped at the vicious tone Aizawa-sensei had.

The tired pro continued. “All of your school permission forms need to be turned in by the end of school today, otherwise any who are missing forms will not be eligible to participate in all class activities until they are.” Aizawa pulled a juice pouch from his pocket; “The last order of business is…” The class leaned in as their teacher slowly trailed off. “You need to choose your class representatives.”

“Anticlimactic!” Kaminari wailed. Jirou and Ashido patted his back from his sides, both feeling the same way as the electric blond.

“I don’t care how you do it, but the class officers must be decided by the time the bell rings to start the day.” Aizawa-sensei quickly pulled his yellow sleeping bag over his head, zipping it up and laying on the floor. “Make sure to keep it down.”

Like a switch was flipped class 1-A began to riot. Izuku jumped slightly when practically everyone seemed to want the position of the class president.  _ ‘I can’t help but... _ not _ want to be in charge,’ _ thought the green-haired teen. A glance at Hitoshi behind and Tokoyami beside the brainwashing boy revealed that they likely felt the same.

“Everyone, please!” Iida shouted over the noise. “Even if you wish to be the class president, that doesn’t mean that you can fulfill the duties! There is a clear difference between ‘want’ and ‘ability’!” Finally, the yelling stopped and the strict teen pushed up his glasses. “Even so! We should put it up to a vote!”

“But we’ve only known each other for four days,” Hagakure pointed out. “How would that make sense?”

“The one who receives the most votes will have been the most notable of our classmates, having earned our trust in the process,” Iida replied. The rest of the class had to nod in consideration, as that  _ did _ seem like a better idea than just shouting our individual wants for the position.

“That being said,” Jirou said from her position in the center of the room, “what about people who don’t  _ want _ to be voted in? Because I know for a fact I can’t fit being the class rep into my schedule--if I were to even be considered--and I can’t see myself being the only one.” A few nods followed her comment.

Yaoyorozu, taking a deep breath, stood from her position in the back corner of the class, striding quickly and purposely to the front board. “For everyone that wishes to be considered for the position, we’ll write their name up here. With each person getting one vote each, it should be easy to find our rep, yes?”

And so it went. Izuku found it simultaneously funny and endearing that Kero was given a voting card--paper and deposit box courtesy of Yaoyorozu’s quirk--and a vote.  _ ‘As rule-bound Iida is, I don’t think I could handle giving him any more authority over me. He already acts as though he’s in charge, so it’s a ‘no’ for me. Hmm...but Yaoyorozu seems good since she calmly presented an option, is kind, smart, and very resourceful… Yeah, I think that’ll be good.’ _ Nodding to himself, Izuku marked his vote for the creation-quirked girl, taking his and Kero’s up to the box for the vote.

\-----

Hitoshi sat down, carefully depositing his serving of ramen. “I am  _ so _ glad I didn’t run for class rep. Don’t think I could have handled it, honestly.”

“Indeed,” Tokoyami agreed, and Shouji nodded in agreement. Kouda gave a small smile, signing his agreement, but he seemed to go on because Hitoshi and Shouji snorted.

“Yeah,” Hitoshi said to the larger teen. Turning to Midoriya, the lavender-haired boy spoke; “Kouda says he would have voted for you, had you run, Izuku, and wants to know why you didn’t.” Izuku blinked, then jumped as Kero dropped his spoon.

“Oh, well,” Izuku replied, handing his companion his utensil; “For one thing I have no idea the responsibilities of a class rep, and for two; I think it’d be too hard, what with my quirk and all that jazz.” Hitoshi, Tokoyami, Shouji, and Kouda nodded in understanding. Katsuki, who had been quiet up until this point, snorted beside the green-haired boy.

“Yeah, I can imagine you trying to get through a meeting and then suddenly getting attacked by the radio or something.” The blond shook his head, taking another bite of his usual spicy curry. “That, or you’d freeze up and be unable to do anything.”

“That’s so mean, bro!” Kirishima called out. He was sitting across from the blond and beside Hitoshi, who was also by Kouda, and farther down, Shouji; Tokoyami, sitting beside the greenette, tilted his head to the hardening-quirk user. 

“Is it?” The bird-headed teen asked. “It merely sounds as if Bakugou possesses a concern for Midoriya-kun if a terrible way to express it.” Katsuki bristled at that while Kirishima gave the blond wide eyes.

“Bro…” he said softly, seemingly moved by Tokoyami’s assessment.

“I hate you,” Katsuki said, glaring at Tokoyami as Kirishima began tearing up.

Hitoshi snorted. “You’re just mad that he’s right, bomb-bitch.”

Katsuki opened his mouth, likely in the attempts to murder the brainwasher with words alone when a blaring alarm came from overhead.  _ “All Students: Level Three security breach; please find yourselves to the nearest designated safe room.” _

Izuku winced at the sudden influx of noise. Beside him, Tokoyami grimaced at the sight of the panicking UA students. “What does a level three security breach entail, I wonder.” The bird-headed teen was just barely talking louder than the alarms, but somehow a passing third-year heard him.

“It means an unauthorized person made it onto school grounds!” The group of seven 1-A students were shocked by the news, but weren’t the same level of concern as their fellow students seemed to be; the main hallway leaving the cafeteria was completely full. Arms were being waved as people shouted to be heard, and somehow nobody was moving forward anymore.

The seven tried to stay at the back end of the commotion, still evacuating but not joining the pool of yelling kids. Izuku and Katsuki found themselves pressed up against the picture windows in the hall and the greenette couldn’t help the gasp at what he saw.

“It’s just the press,” he said loudly to his not-friend. “They don’t need to panic if it’s not really a villain attack!” The blond scoffed, frowning at the sight of Present Mic-sensei and Aizawa-sensei trying to corral the reporters from that morning. “Katsuki, try getting their attention! Maybe we can calm them down!”

The explosive blond nodded stiffly. Raising one arm high above the sea of people that congested the hall, Katsuki let loose a moderately sized explosion; the detonation brought a wave of air--which felt really nice compared to the sweaty bodies pressed up against Izuku--but instead of quieting the crowd, it just made them louder. A few shouts of  _ villain _ brought the shoving to a faster pace.

Groaning at a sudden elbow to the ribs, Izuku had enough. Because he listened to Aizawa-sensei’s advice of keeping his Cards with him constantly, Izuku pulled The Silent free. Holding it high in mimicry of Katsuki’s explosion, The Cardcaptor yelled;  _ “Silence!” _ A wave of deep purple magic washed over the entire student body silencing everything. The quiet brought confusion and with that, stillness.

“It’s just the press! There is no villain attack on the school; you don’t need to push one another or yell! We’re in UA, so we should act like it by not panicking!” Sighing loudly, the greenette released his hold on Silent, giving everyone back their voices. Thankfully, they learned their lesson, as the students murmured, slowly but surely getting out of the crowded hall.

\-----

Izuku lay his head down on the table, groaning slightly from the growing headache he was getting. Principal Nedzu announced that they had forty-five minutes left of their lunch after the security breach was dealt with, so now that everyone was back to eating, Izuku could finally feel the drain on his magic.

“Nice job calming everyone down, Izuku,” Hitoshi said from across the table. The green-haired boy groaned at the noise, then winced at his own groan. “Damn. Headache?” Izuku nodded minutely, not risking sudden movements yet.

“Would you like to be escorted to Recovery Girl, Midoriya-kun? I would be happy to take you.” Tokoyami’s offer was enticing, but he knows from experience that headaches brought on by wandless magic aren’t medically cured. Thankfully there were no lasting side effects from passing out completely. Just significant amounts. Like silencing an entire student body at once.

“He’ll survive,” Katsuki said, earning a few skeptical looks. “He’s just getting hit by one of his quirk’s dumb rules.”

Kouda signed to Hitoshi and Shouji; translating for him, Shouji smiled behind his mask and said, “What rule would that be? Passing out after making a scene?” The pink-skinned teen looked worried at the prospect of his joke not being taken well but blushed when Izuku snorted. Then groaned. Then winced.

“If I use my Cards without my staff then it drains me faster than without. The bigger an effect I cause without my staff also contributes to it.” Izuku sat up slowly, not liking the dull throb from his forehead. “It’s a limiter so I don’t hurt myself using my quirk, and since I got everyone quiet--even for that short amount of time--it’s making me feel quirk exhaustion.”

The entire table--sans Katsuki--winced in sympathy. Quirk exhaustion was never good, and the fact that  _ that _ was the price Izuku had to pay for calming down the school… It was cruel for something sorely needed.

“How come you didn't, just- bring out your staff?” Kirishima asked. “I mean, if you knew this would happen, why didn’t you?” Izuku had to blink a few times to get his brain to work properly to answer the question.

“How big is my staff?” He asked rhetorically. Red eyes widened in realization. “If I were to have brought it out in that crowd I might have impaled someone, much less gotten everyone quiet.” He sighed. “It sucks having a quirk for only a year; no control whatsoever.”

\-----

“Hope you all enjoyed your lunch,” Aizawa-sensei said blandly, walking to the podium to address the class. “In light of the security breach we’re sending you home early, so after your lesson with Midnight be prepared to go home. If anyone needs to contact their parents or guardians, you may do so before your next class. This also means that you have until tomorrow morning to turn in your forms. Don’t be late.”

_ ‘Makes sense,’ _ Izuku thought to himself.  _ ‘Even if it  _ was _ just the press breaking in, UA is taking no chances with its student’s safety, sending us home early.’ _ The Cardcaptor looked at the napping Kero on his desk;  _ ‘The panic from the alarms must have gotten to him. Hasn’t woken up since…’ _

“In other news,” Aizawa-sensei said, “As I promised, your votes have been tallied up, and the results are in. Yaoyorozu, Iida, please come up here.” The two made their way from their seats to stand beside the pro; Aizawa-sensei tapped twice on the front board, revealing the results for their votes that morning. “Yaoyorozu will be serving as your class representative and Iida as her vice. Don’t make this hard on them and cause trouble.”

Yaoyorozu and Iida bowed to the class. “I would like to thank those who put their trust in us through their votes. We promise to do our best to serve you all well.” Yaoyorozu and Iida bowed once more, then sat down to the quiet clapping of their classmates. Izuku smiled at the black-haired girl as she passed.

_ ‘I think my vote went to the right place.’ _

“Now that  _ that _ is out of the way… You have ten minutes to contact your homes and alert them of the schedule change. Your time is up when Midnight starts her lesson.” Aizawa-sensei then left the room, pulling a juice pouch from his pocket as he closed the door.

\-----

The green-haired Cardcaptor sat on his bed. He was revising any new information that he found about his magic or the Cards in his notebook; Kero said that it wasn’t necessary, but being prepared was key in Izuku’s eyes.

He’d just finished writing the last of his notes about his encounters with The Erase and The Shadow when a wave of tiredness hit him.  _ ‘I feel like Kero,’ _ he thought to himself. Yawning, the greenette put his notebook and pencil onto his desk, mindful of Kero’s sleeping form.  _ ‘Might as well take a nap.’ _ Closing his eyes, Izuku fell asleep.

\-----

_ He was sitting at the same glass table, in the same glass garden house, with the same two birds flying around. Unlike last time, the space across from him had two chairs. _

‘I’m back…’

_ He blinked, looking around the garden when a light laugh caught his attention. Turning back he found the same brown-haired girl with green eyes smiling at him. “Don’t worry,” she said, “He should be here soon.” _

‘ _ He? _ Who...?’

_ Izuku looked to the empty chair to his left, only to find it no longer empty. he found a brown-haired boy with amber eyes smiling softly at him. The greenette blinked at the new visitor. _

_ “I’m sure you have questions,” the girl said, taking a sip of her tea. Izuku found himself holding his own cup, but when he went to drink he couldn’t taste anything. The other boy nodded, but what for, he didn’t know. “Do you know who I am?” she asked with a smile. _

_ Izuku stared at her. Never before had he met anyone that looked like her before, but…  _ Something _ was familiar… “Sakura…?” he asked tentatively. _

_ Sakura Kinomoto, the Master of the Cards before him, nodded. “I knew you were smart,” she said. “I’m glad that Kero and Yue get to spend time with you, Izuku.” _

‘She knows me? How? This doesn’t make any sense…’

_ “It doesn’t have to,” the boy spoke suddenly. He was wearing the same style of uniform--if the male variation. He reached into his blazer’s pocket, pulling out five pieces of orange paper; Izuku blinked and suddenly he was holding them. “Just know, no matter what, we are with you.” The amber-eyed boy smiled at the green-haired Cardcaptor. _

_ Sakura smiled, her face brightening as she took hold of the boy’s hand. “And no matter what, keep this in your heart-” _

\-----

“Everything will be alright.”

Izuku blinked multiple times, his eyes burning for some reason. Wiping at them with the back of his sleeve revealed the burning to come from unshed tears. Sitting up, the green-haired teen looked at his clock, finding his nap to have only been just under an hour long.  _ ‘But why was I crying? What was my dream?’ _

He shook his head. “That doesn’t matter right now,” he said to himself. “I still have homework and dinner to take care of, and then school tomorrow. No reason to dwell on the unknown.” Nodding to himself, the green-haired teen pulled out his schoolwork, sitting at his desk to complete his English homework.

\-----

“I’m home, Izuku!” Inko called into the apartment. She was getting home later than usual, but in the world of heroes and villains, you can’t exactly know when more patients enter the hospital or not. She was in the process of slipping off her shoes when the purple form of Dash came running at her, rubbing up against her legs like an over-excited cat.

“Aren’t you sweet,” she said, giving the card a scratch behind the ears. “Izuku?” She made her way into the kitchen, fully expecting to see her diligent son working away at the counter, making some sweets for her and Kero to enjoy. Rather than that scene, she was greeted with an empty room and the lingering smell of fish.

Looking at the table showed her a covered plate with a slight mist rising off of it. Smiling at the meal, Inko set her purse and light jacket on the table; she padded quietly to the living room, finding her son sleeping soundly across the couch, a book still in his hand.

“Every time,” she says fondly. Memories of her coming home late and finding this exact scenario playing out make her smile at her sleeping boy. Looking at Dash, she said, “Would you mind sleeping with him? He might need the extra warmth.” Dash flicked its ears in a manner that Inko knew meant they were happy. Climbing onto the boy’s chest, Dash curled up and started sleeping.

“Sweet dreams,” she whispered, bending down to kiss Izuku’s forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah! You made it to the end!  
> So, we have Izuku fighting two Cards in this chapter; The Erase and The Shadow! Unfortunately, my creative ability failed me, and every time I tried to properly write their captures it didn't sit right. So, I made it happen "off-screen" instead! (Don't kill me! I'm just as angry as you are!)  
> Also! Our boy learned a bit of cartomancy! The "Sun reading" was actually a kind of reading that I found in the Clamp official Clow Card Divination book--because I'm not really a Tarot card user or anything, so I just did that. If you feel the "reading" was too specific...that's because I needed it to be and out of the Cards he had these worked the best. Expect more readings in the future!
> 
> As you probably noticed, chapter 11 was the first day of school, and on a Monday. Chapter 12 was the second day and Tuesday. This chapter is the third and fourth days--Wednesday and Thursday respectively. I'm just silently slipping in a timeline, hoping it makes sense.
> 
> Let's talk about Izuku's lunchroom comment! I've already established that Izuku isn't a pushover and that his development is different than canon. When you're slightly at odds with someone and have this kind of relationship--Izuku and Katsuki--you get snarky, making snide comments that only you hear because it makes you feel a bit better. I haven't done much introspection on Izuku's part yet, mainly because that's coming later. What he did just now was basically verbalize the "not-friend-maybe" thing that he always puts before Katsuki's address in his mind. Just- more snarky. Yeah.   
> Can we get props for Katsuki having another introspective moment? I'm so proud of my bomb-bitch! (Uru's "Break" inspired that entire section. I'm obsessed)  
> [Also, you can pry Inko getting the bare minimum of information about Izuku's school situation and confronting Katsuki from my cold, dead hands. Just know that it happened sometime before UA's exam, but after Izuku getting his "quirk". She wasn't violent, but she basically sat confronted Katsuki and gave him the facts of the situation and another perspective about Katsuki and Izuku's past. Like a verbal beatdown.]
> 
> Stepping away from that!   
> The dream sequence isn't my finest work... I know, but it makes sense...to me. I'll /make it/ make sense, so just wait for a little bit. I'm excited, so hopefully, it'll be worth the wait! 
> 
> Um...I guess that I don't really have many more notes about this chapter, huh? Making another point that AO3 user PikaPower99 showed me; Izuku will go through some costume changes during his hero training, just as canon!Izuku. I want to hear some of your ideas! I'd kind of prefer it if we stayed with the Sun/Moon/Stars motif or majokko style, but whatever works! I'll likely pull bits and pieces from your suggestions to build his different outfits, so...yeah.
> 
> Anyway--I feel like I've said that a lot this chapter--That's it for the most part for this chapter! Comment your favorite parts, your suggestions, or crack concepts, or even theories! Because I love them all--if you can't tell by the way that I comment on almost every comment that I get.  
> Whatever. It's time for me to say goodbye to you for this week, but next week you've got the USJ! So be prepared!
> 
> Bye!


	14. ...They Either Fly or Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku was finally at the end of his first week at UA!
> 
> Between forgetting his dreams and having fun with his new classmates, Izuku just hopes that the day trip UA has planned will turn out alright.
> 
> What a great way to end off the first week at UA!

“Kero... Kero, you need to get up... Kero, you’ve been asleep for, like,  _ eighteen hours _ , get. Up!” Izuku yanked the covers off of Kero’s bed, nearly sending the lion plush to the floor due to how tightly he was holding on.

“I’m awake, gosh dang it! No need to be so angry this early,” Kero complains. His green-haired companion sighs, leaving him to pick himself up and get ready for school. “I’m hungry,” the lion plush says loudly, holding his aching stomach. “How could you let me sleep through dinner?”

Izuku snorts as he finishes pulling on his uniform vest, buttoning it up with quick movements. “You say that as if I didn’t  _ try _ , _ ” _ he says. “I tried waking you up after we got on the train, then when we got home, twice before I finished dinner, and once more before bed in case you still wanted to eat.” Green eyes narrowed, pinning the golden guardian with a pointed look.

Kero sweatdropped at the reality of the situation. “Oh...sorry. Forgot I was such a heavy sleeper,” he said, slipping into his uniform. Izuku waved him off, grabbing his book bag from the desk before the pair exited the bedroom and made their way to the kitchen.

“Morning, boys,” Inko greeted. Before Izuku could object to her making them breakfast, the mother shushed him; “I know I got in late last night, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to send you off in the morning. Plus, you made dinner last night. It’s only fair.” The older Midoriya motioned the boys to the table; “How’s your neck, Izuku? Does it hurt after sleeping on the couch all night?”

“Oh, no, it doesn’t. Honestly, it was fine.” Izuku helped his mother set the fried rice and eggs on the table, despite Inko’s reassurances of not needing the help. “I was kind of surprised, though, when I woke up. Didn’t remember falling asleep, so it was strange waking up there.”

Inko laughed, both in part to Izuku’s story and Kero’s enthusiastic eating. “Well, I’m glad that you had a good night’s rest. Heaven knows  _ I _ never feel rested after sleeping on that couch.” Izuku snickered at the comment. “Anyway, I hope that you boys have a good day at school. I won’t see you tonight or tomorrow morning, so make sure to eat a proper dinner and breakfast.”

“We will, Momidoriya!” Kero smiled big at Inko, who just blushed and waved them off.

“Have a good day, you two!”

“Bye, mom!”

\-----

“Izuku, hey,” Hitoshi greeted, waving to Kero as the two sat down. “How was your yesterday spent after we got sent home?”

Izuku sighed, dramatically holding his head with his hands. “I wrote about my quirk, took a nap, did my homework, and then made dinner. I also spent a collective  _ twenty minutes _ trying to wake  _ this _ lazy bum for dinner.”

_ “Hey!” _ Kero piped up. “I already apologized for that!” The greenette gave his companion an apologetic smile, calming his faux anger with pats on the head. “Anyway, what about you?” He asked Hitoshi. “Do anything fun, brain-boy?”

The brainwasher quirked a smile at the nickname. “Not really,” he replied easily. He propped his head up with a hand; “I mostly spent it napping or watching bad movies with my parents. Oh, that reminds me!” Hitoshi smirked at his green-haired friend. “My parents were equal parts impressed by your quirk when I told them about the vanishing “villain” two days ago and concerned that you get attacked almost daily.

“Still haven’t figured out a proper way to find your cards other than just- fucking around and finding out?” Hitoshi laughed at Izuku’s sudden coughing fit brought on by the comment.

“You can’t just say that!”

“Why not,” Katsuki asked from behind. The blond had just sat down, and so the trio settled into their common positions. “It’s true, isn’t it?” Izuku let out a scandalized gasp at the blond’s careless comment. Too bad Aizawa-sensei took that time to enter the classroom.

“I hope all of you have your paperwork ready to turn in,” he started with no preamble. “If you don’t, then expect to sit out tomorrow; you will be having a day trip, but without permission from your guardians you’ll spend the day going over your regular course material.” The class got excited at that, but a quirk-infused glare from the pro got them back to manageable levels.

“Because I’m  _ nice _ -” 1-A sweatdropped collectively “-the last chance for paperwork to be turned in is after lunch. This  _ means _ , Kaminari-” the electric blond jolted in his seat “-that you should be texting your parents before class starts. That’s all.” As quickly as he came in, the man left, leaving a panicked Kaminari to type out a frantic message to his parents.

\-----

Izuku splayed out his Sakura Cards across the table. None of the others were at their table yet, so the green-haired Cardcaptor was fit to do a bit of “divination practice” with Kero. After shuffling and cutting the Cards twice, he spread them all out in a line, making sure that it stayed continuous.

“Alright, now you just have to pick one that feels ‘right’,” the lion plush said. He took a bite from his serving of modanyaki, watching the greenette stare at the Cards. “Seriously. You don’t need to do anything but pick a Card and flip it.”

Izuku huffed, choosing the Card that had been standing out to him-- _ ‘Which is absurd because they’re all the same. But this is magic’ _ he reminded himself--and flipping it quickly.  _ The Windy _ . “So?” Izuku asked; “What’s Windy mean for me this time?”

Kero hummed in thought for a moment. “In terms of a daily reading… Today will either be a breeze, calm, or something will change; you know, ‘winds of change’ and all that jazz.” Kero’s lackluster interpretation caused the greenette to sigh.

“I’m starting to think that I’m not very good at this... _ divination _ thing. It’s either so precise and self-explanatory or completely out there.” He sorted the Cards, stacking them in the order he captured them, and slipped them back into his holster. Aizawa’s advice is not to be trifled with.

“That’s not your fault. If anything, I’d say to blame your still-growing magic power.” Kero punctuated this statement by taking another bite of his lunch. “Anyway,” he said, mouth still full; “Sakura only ever did it, like- once or twice, mainly relying on her dreamseer ability. And Clow? Yeah, never needed to.”

“Right.” The green-haired Cardcaptor sighed at the reminder of his predecessors.

_ ‘Clow Reed was a guy that had crazy powerful magic, could see the future, and created the Cards and their guardians. Sakura was just a normal girl that found the Cards, became the new Master, and then unlocked magic that put her on Clow’s level.’ _ He took a bit of his tonkatsu, chewing slowly as he finished the thought;  _ ‘Then there’s me: completely average, yet enough magic to open the Sakura Book and become the next Cardcaptor.’ _

“Midoriya, hey! I thought you were behind us in line since I couldn’t see you, but here you are!” Kirishima’s cheerful greeting brought Izuku from his thoughts. The spiky-haired redhead scratched his cheek in a way that didn’t seem to fit his exterior, but his personality perfectly; “I was actually wanting to ask you something when we had a chance, and since no one else is here yet, maybe now would work?”

The greenette blinked at the question. Looking around revealed that Katsuki, Hitoshi, and the others weren’t to be seen in the cafeteria yet. Bringing his attention back to his classmate he smiled. “Sure,” he said. “What’s the matter, Kirishima-kun?” The red-eyed boy beamed, sliding his tray away so he could face Izuku head-on, something that the green-haired boy copied.

“Okay, so; yesterday, we were talking about all of our quirks after the early release-”

Izuku held up a hand, cutting in quickly. “By we, you mean…?”

“Oh!” Kirishima smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Mina, Kaminari, Sero, Bakubro, and I!” Izuku blinked at the information.  _ ‘I’m sure Katsuki likes  _ that _ nickname... More than  _ Kacchan _ at least, if Kirishima’s smile is anything to go off of. Speaking of, how did Katsuki even agree to join them?’ _

“Right, sorry; continue?”

“Well, we were talking about our quirks while we were out and what we did during the entrance exam,” Kirishima continued. “When it was my turn, I explained the weird mutation that my quirk underwent during my training for the exam and how it breaks my bones-”

_ “It what?!” _ Izuku interrupted. He felt a blush growing as Kirishima stared at him wide-eyed, but he ignored that; “What do you mean ‘breaks my bones’? Is this that weird thing that made you spark during our battle trial?”

“Uh...yeah. Bakubro wasn’t kidding when he said you’d freak.”

“Sorry,” the greenette apologized. “I just- I thought your arm broke for some  _ other  _ reason. That’s...not a good thing, in terms of mutations.” Kirishima nodded, agreeing.

“Yeah, I know, which is why Bakubro said that I should ask  _ you _ about what to do to fix it.” Green eyes blinked, and the redhead continued. “He said that you’re, like- super smart when it comes to quirks and sudden mutations and that you might be able to help me!”

“I-I guess…? I mean, I’m not really-” Kero was the one to offer an interruption this time, silencing Izuku.

“Don’t listen to him, Sharkboy,” the lion plush said with a sly grin. “Izuku’s got an entire  _ library _ of books on quirk theory and the newest information on supergene genetics.” At that, the redhead was the one blinking in surprise. Izuku had to fight another growing blush as it crawled up his neck.

“So, you’ll help me?!” Kirishima’s hopeful grin was so bright that Izuku had to fight against looking away. Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded, to which his classmate pumped a fist. “Awesome!”

Sighing goodnaturedly, Izuku reached into his bookbag, grabbing one of his spare notebooks to record everything that they talked about. Setting the yellow bag on the table beside him, Izuku opened to the first page, pencil poised to take notes. “Alright,” he said determinedly. “Your quirk before the mutation; describe it for me.”

And so they went, Kirishima explaining that his quirk was originally just the hardening of the epidermal and dermal layers of his skin, giving him the approximate Mohs rating of five--just a bit harder than marble. However, this changed when he was suddenly changing his muscle’s density as well, accumulating strength in the limb that he hardened, which--somehow--translated to “sparks” and superstrength.

“Hmm…” The impromptu quirk counselor looked over his notes; “Kirishima.” The redhead looked up from his food, setting down his fork to give Izuku his full attention. “When you used your quirk before the mutation...it was all over, right?”

Red eyes blinked a few times before he answered. “Yeah, why?”

“I’m thinking… You break your limbs after the mutation because you’re putting too much stress on the bone; you harden your skin and increase your muscle density, but it’s too much on the unprotected bones that it causes them to... _ shatter _ , as you’ve said. I think,” Izuku said, looking Kirishima in the eyes, “that if you tried to extend the density factor over a larger area of your body, you’ll have better results.”

Kirishima looked at Izuku like he’d hung the stars. “Why didn’t _ I _ think of that?”

Izuku shrugged. “It happens. When you’re used to doing something in a certain way, but then something comes and changes that, you can lose sight of the solution pretty easily in the chaos.” He made a few more paragraphs of notes--just a few things that the redhead might like to have--before closing the book and sliding it across the table. “I’d suggest practicing with Aizawa-sensei, but the next chance you could have is likely after tomorrow. But if you ever need any more help, I can try.”

Izuku smiled at his classmate. Kirishima grinned back, sliding the notebook into his bag for safekeeping. “Of course!” The warning bell for their next class rang, and the two teens stood up. “Thanks, for the help, Midobro!” 

Izuku fought a third blush at the nickname as Kero laughed at his predicament.

\-----

“Where did you guys go during lunch?” Hitoshi and Katsuki looked up from their desks as Izuku made his way towards them. “I thought you were just late, but then Kirishima and I spent the whole time alone.” Kero piped up from his shoulder and Izuku amended. “With Kero.”

“Raccoon-eyes dragged me off to sit with her, Ducktape, and Dunceface. Couldn’t get away.” Green eyes widened slightly at the reminder that Katsuki spent their early release day with them. It’s not really a surprise he’d gotten dragged off.  _ ‘I  _ am _ surprised that he didn’t blow up. Literally.’ _ Izuku sat down as the blond turned away, both preparing for the next class.

“I followed Tokoyami and the others,” Hitoshi supplied. “Kirishima looked like he wanted to talk to you alone, so we all made our way to a different table.” The brainwasher got a mischievous look on his face, one that Izuku didn’t like all that much. “So? When’s the date?”

Izuku choked on his spit as he set down his bag. Once his breathing was under control he glared at the smug lavender-haired boy. “That’s  _ not _ what he wanted to talk about, and you  _ know it!” _ The taller teen didn’t even pretend to look apologetic. “He wanted help with controlling his newest mutation, and since Katsuki was nice enough to point him my way, I was the one he asked.”

Hitoshi raised a brow. “And he didn’t, just- go to a regular quirk counselor? That seems a little weird.” Izuku shrugged, and that was that. Snipe came in for their afternoon chemistry lesson and the rest of the day passed fairly calmly.

\-----

“Kero,” Izuku says from his bedroom desk; the lion plush makes a noise of acknowledgment from where he was playing a game, something to do with a shirtless guy wielding a tree branch. “I’ve been wondering… The Cards themselves have a ‘balanced’ Sun and Moon--Yang and Yin, respectively--and that’s also mirrored by you representing the Sun, and Yue, the Moon.”

Kero pauses his game, floating up to Izuku’s level to further bring his attention to the Cardcaptor. “Okay, what’s your question?” The green-haired teen tilted his head from side to side in thought.

“Well… I was wondering why Yue hasn’t come out of the book yet?” To show what he meant, he pulled the Sakura Book from its place among his shelves. “When I first got the book there was a lion that decorated the cover--but ever since you popped out, it’s been missing--something that we already established. But, on the back…” He flipped the book over, showing Kero the winged crescent moon sitting just under the magic circle. “See? If he were already out, wouldn’t this have disappeared, too?”

The golden guardian blinked at the new information.  _ ‘Last time, Yue was using Yukibunny as his false form, and when Sakura found the book, he’d been out for years.’ _ He looked over Yue’s sealed form.  _ ‘But he’s still here…?’ _ Following a hunch, the guardian sensed outward with his magic, focusing on the Sakura Book. Gasping, Kero flitted to Izuku; “But he  _ is _ gone! I can’t feel his magic at all!”

Frowning, and filled with a touch of skepticism, the greenette scrutinized the book more. “How do you explain the Moon, then? He poured some of his magic into his seal before leaving so it’d throw us off?” Izuku muttered. Bringing the Sakura book closer to his face, he looked at the crescent moon again.

Following  _ his _ hunch, he traced a finger over the image. Like wiping away a layer of dust the crescent moon had a pink line traced through it, a faint silver residue left on Izuku’s fingers. The pair of magic-users gasped in surprise, and the Cardcaptor wiped away the remaining image.

“I...wasn’t expecting that,” Izuku said honestly. “So, Yue’s been outside the book the entire time? But...why wouldn’t he show himself? Doesn’t that just make collecting the Cards that much harder?”

Kero shook his head. “Yue…he really loved Clow Reed, but when he died, he didn’t want another Master. Knowing this, Clow gave Yue the position of ‘The Judge’ and myself ‘The Selector’. Then Sakura came along and managed to change his mind.” The lion plush sighed deeply. “I suspect that he’s feeling just as much hurt as he did when Clow left us now that Sakura’s gone, and is going to be just as hard on you as he was Sakura.”

“That’s so sad; losing two of the people you love the most, only to wake up and learn you have to deal with another unwanted person in your life.” The two magic users shared a moment of silence at the thought.

“This kind of takes away from my next question,” Izuku mumbles. Kero, already close, tilts his head in question.

The green-haired boy leans back in his chair; “You know how there’s that ‘blanket’ over your magic-sensing abilities?” The lion plush nods. “My theory was that  _ Yue _ was the cause, and if he were still in the book, I would have asked him to cut it out, but…”

“But he wasn’t the cause,” Kero finishes for him. 

Izuku shakes his head at that. “If it wasn’t him, then  _ what?” _

The two didn't get to ponder the question any further as it was now dinner time.

\-----

_ Sakura and the amber-eyed boy were already sitting at the glass table when Izuku entered the dream. They seemed to not notice his arrival, as they continued to talk in tones too quiet for the green-haired Carcaptor to hear. _

_ Izuku watched as they talked, lifting his teacup to his lips; tasteless again. With a quiet sigh, he set the cup down, catching the eye of Sakura herself. “Oh, Syaoran, he’s here,” the Master of the Cards said in a quick whisper. _

‘Syaoran? But I thought…’

_ The other boy--Syaoran--shook his head. “I’m not Clow Reed, no.” _

_ “Then why…?” Izuku looked to Sakura for an answer. Syaoran and Sakura share a quick look, something melancholic in their eyes.  _

_ “Don’t worry about that right now, please.” Syaoran motioned to Izuku’s hand, “Have you noticed?” _

_ Confused, he looked down. There, in his right hand, were the five pieces of orange paper that he had been given last time, and just like last time, he was still unable to decipher the strange writing. Blinking at their sudden arrival, he looked back at their gifter. “That you gave these to me?” _

_ Syaoran shook his head. “Close, but you’ll get there in time. It doesn’t matter how long because we’ll always be with you.” _

_ Sakura smiles at Syaoran’s comment, clearly remembering the last dream that Izuku had. “Right, and no matter what; everything will-” _

\-----

“-Be alright.”

Izuku blinked rapidly, clearing his blurry vision. Sitting up, he tried to remember what he’d been dreaming about, but just as every time he’s woken up with that phrase on his lips, he can’t. The only thing that still lingered was a barely-there urge to observe his right hand.

_ ‘Whatever,’ _ he decided quickly.  _ ‘I can’t let my dreams get to me today, not when I have a day trip to get ready for!’ _ Nodding to himself, Izuku got out of bed and swiftly pulled on his uniform. Noticing his sleeping companion, he made quick work of waking him up with a few shakes.

“Right,” the greenette said suddenly. “We’ve got a trip to go on!” With excitement at the prospective trip by UA, he made his way out of the bedroom, fixing himself and Kero an easy breakfast of omelets.

\-----

“Everyone,” Aizawa-sensei said, quieting down the class; “as you know, you will be going on a day trip if you’ve turned in your paperwork.” He stresses that last point, making 1-A collectively tense, turned in paperwork or not. “Thankfully--or not--you all have done so.” They all let out a sigh, Kaminari’s the most relieved.

“We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes, and the reason for all of this is-” much like All Might had on the second day of school, Aizawa-sensei pulled out a card that had the word “rescue” written on it in red, blocky letters. “We’ll be doing rescue training in one of UA’s facilities.

“Because this area of heroics is such a vital aspect, we’ve split the actual lesson into two parts. Part one is today, where you will be introduced to a variety of scenarios and instructed how to proceed. Part two will be tomorrow, where we go over what you learned today, and fill in more of the logistics of actual rescuing.”

Aizawa-sensei sighed as if the next words were particularly painful to say; “Myself and All Might-” the class erupted into sudden cheers--which were immediately silenced by Aizawa’s glare- “will be joined by one other faculty member to oversee the lesson today. You can either choose to wear your costumes or the gym uniform, but remember that you need ease of movement for this lesson, so choose wisely.”

With the unexpected speech over, class 1-A rushed to get ready.

\-----

“I wonder who we’ll be seeing?” Hitoshi asked; the group around him, consisting of the self-proclaimed Bakusquad--Ashido, Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari, and Katsuki--Izuku, Tokoyami, Shouji, and Kouda, all gave him a hum in thought.

“Maybe it’s a rescue hero, like Cementoss?” Sero’s guess was received with a few nods.

“Oh!” Ashido says, jumping in place; “What if it’s Power Loader or even Hound Dog?!” Her comment got more noises of agreement; the prospect of learning under those two was exciting.

“But that wouldn’t make sense. Aizawa-sensei said ‘rescue training’, as in ‘every kind’. Plus, for the lesson to take as much as two days, then we really must be going through it all, if just a crash course version. Putting in the factors that rescue can happen anywhere with any conditions, it’s likely that the faculty member would be a prominent rescue hero known for their work in various situations. Putting all  _ that  _ together--and UA’s small prospect of rescue heroes employed--our third instructor would likely be the Space Hero: Thirteen.”

Izuku nodded to himself, finishing his mumbling as he came to a logical conclusion. He looked up, ready to share his guess when he found everyone nearby looking at him. “What?” He asked.

Kirishima is the first to break out of his silent stare; “Midobro, that was so  _ manly! _ How did you know all of that?!” Blinking in surprise at the suddenness of the comment, Izuku tried to think of what the redhead meant. Then he realized he’d been mumbling again.

Blushing, Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “W-Well, I like heroes, so I try to stay on top of the news, and since I was planning on going to UA, I did some research about the heroes that work here… Thirteen was just the most obvious guess out of all of them, though Ectoplasm is a closer second.”

“Dude,” Kaminari said, “I've been trying to tell you guys; Midoriya is God! He just  _ knows!” _

The group of collected students snort at the comment, although Izuku’s blush has yet to vanish. Thankful for the distraction from his hero-watching hobby, the green-haired Cardcaptor smiled as his friends and classmates continued talking about their upcoming lesson.

\-----

Izuku sat on the bus, surrounded by Katsuki and Hitoshi, letting Kero take a quick nap on his lap as they were driven to the off-but-still-on campus facility where the lesson would take place. The greenette listened as his classmates talked animatedly about various things; Hitoshi, Shouji, Kouda, and Tokoyami talking about the benefits of a Ouiji board in one’s bedroom; Kirishima, Ashido, Sero, Kaminari, Jirou, and Yaoyorozu talking about middle school; Uraraka, Asui, Iida, and Aoyama talking about the upcoming rescue training; Ojiro, Sato, Hagakure talking about favorite rescue heroes; and Todoroki and Katsuki not talking to anyone, more focused on the passing trees.

Izuku was tempted to try and wrangle a conversation out of the dual-haired boy--or Icyhot, as Katsuki liked to say--but was unable to do so when someone called his name.

“Midoriya,” Asui said. She was across from him, and her bland stare was slightly unnerving, but Izuku powered through it.

“Yeah, Asui?”

“Call me Tsu,  _ kero,” _ the frog-girl quickly stated, and the shorter greenette nodded. “I tend to say the things that come to my mind, and have been known to be blunt,” she started. “I know you’ve explained it before, but your quirk doesn’t make sense, _ kero.” _

Izuku jolted in his seat. A sudden cold sweat started crawling down his back as he fully took in what As-  _ Tsu _ said. “W-Well, that’s probably because it’s a specialty quirk, and it’s common for them to not make sense.”  _ ‘Would that throw her off?’ _

Tsu nods her agreement, but she continues, and at this point most of the bus is quiet. “That may be true, but from my perspective, it seems a little too good to be true,  _ kero. _ You have a sentient quirk companion, cards that attack you at random--and they have minds of their own,  _ kero. _ All of that is quite something.”

_ ‘Let’s not include the fact that it’s  _ not _ a quirk, but  _ magic _. Or the fact that I am the second person to have these Cards or even Yue; a second  _ quirk companion _ who has seemingly become a functioning member of society for who knows how long. Honestly, what  _ isn’t _ there to be suspicious about?’ _

Izuku doesn’t dare say any of this out loud. Instead, he gives the questioning girl a sheepish smile; “I don’t know either, Tsu,” he says with a shrug. “It might have been more believable if it had come in at four, but it decided to grace me with its presence at the age where people are most suspicious. One of life’s greatest mysteries.” He fakes another smile at his own joke, but thankfully the girl bought it, nodding.

“Yes _ , kero. _ That must be annoying, having to deal with all the questions.” She paused, then added, “The irony isn’t lost on me, either, _ kero.” _

Keroberos, who had been napping up until this point, grumbled unintelligibly, before glaring slightly at his green-haired companion. “What? I’m up, see? No need to keep saying my name.” Izuku blinked at him for a moment. Fighting against a growing snicker, he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.

“Sorry, Kero, but we weren’t trying to call for you.” He waved to Tsu, who looked a little sheepish at the realized confusion she had unintentionally caused. “Tsu and I were just talking.”

“Why’d I hear my name, then?”

Tsu bowed her head slightly towards the lion plush. “Apologies, Kero,  _ kero.” _ The way Kero’s face scrunched up in confusion caused Izuku to snort slightly. “My quirk causes me to have a verbal tic, _ kero _ . I didn’t mean to cause any confusion.”

The golden guardian narrowed his eyes skeptically before shrugging. “It’s fine. Not like you could stop it,” he said, waving the green-haired girl off. “I’ll try not to be so grumpy next time.” The two nodded to each other, and the conversations were back in full force.

\-----

Shouta sighed as he watched his class talk amongst themselves before Thirteen arrived for their lesson. Unfortunately, a growing group of problem children--Midoriya, Shinsou, Bakugou, Kirishima, Ashido, Kaminari, Sero, Tokoyami, Shouji, and Kouda--seemed to have already figured out just who they were waiting for; somehow the biggest problem child of them all had figured it out for the rest of them. 

He sighed once again when 1-A began chattering with vigor due to the Space Hero’s arrival. “Welcome, everyone, to my facility: The Unforeseen Simulation Joint!” The teacher spread their arms out, clearly enjoying the admiration coming from the students.

“So...this  _ isn’t _ Universal Studios Japan?” Kaminari’s comment cut through the excited chatter of Uraraka and Iida, causing a few people to snort. Thirteen included.

“Unfortunately not, Kaminari, but it is just as impressive! I have designed this facility to train young heroes in the act of rescue for all sorts of situations,” Thirteen says. “But before I get into the specifics, I have a few points that I would like to make clear. My quirk is called Black Hole, and it lets me suck up anything into dust, permanently getting rid of it.”

They pause, allowing what Shouta knows is their own version of a test. Predictably, Uraraka falls into the trap; “Yeah! It’s awesome how you use it to help everyone in the middle of disasters!”

“Yes,” The rescue hero agrees, “my quirk has saved countless people, but it can also be used to kill quite easily.” Shouta digs his chin into the folds of his capture weapon, studying the way Bakugou’s face paled slightly at the admission.  _ ‘Possibly something to look into.’ _ “As you all know, it is a hero’s duty to help others in need, but you must keep in mind that your quirks can do just as much harm as good.

“In Aizawa-sensei’s test at the beginning of the year, you learned just how powerful your quirks are through a metric system of measurement. In All Might’s lesson, you learned how that could translate to combat against another human.” Thirteen stops, taking a moment to “look” each student in the eyes. “Here, I’m to teach you how to properly control that power into something that will not cause untold damage to those you don’t wish to harm.”

Thirteen took a bow at the end of their speech and Shouta shook his head at the cheers his class gave them. Catching the eye of his fellow teacher, Shouta and Thirteen stepped away from their class for a moment to talk. “Where’s All Might? He was supposed to meet us here.”

Thirteen raised three fingers; “All Might got caught up in something before school started and Nedzu needed to talk to him.” Translation: “All Might decided that he couldn’t trust the other heroes in the area to do their jobs and jumped in blindly, using up his three hours before nine in the morning.”

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but All Might had a duty as a teacher to be here for his students. Instead, he needed to put himself in the spotlight, again and used all of his time. Shouta shook his head, following his class as his coworker guided everyone inside the USJ.

\-----

Izuku was marveling at the expansive building that was the USJ when he felt something thick and heavy that got stuck in his throat, making him sick to his stomach. Bringing a hand to cover his mouth, Izuku began leaning against Hitoshi.

“Izuku?” The lavender-haired boy’s eyes widened when he noticed the pale skin, motioning to Aizawa-sensei. “Sensei, I don’t think Izuku’s feeling good,” he said to their teacher. Izuku felt the man touch his forehead, asking him questions, but that’s not what caught his attention.

In the central plaza, a black cloud seemed to form out of nothing, bubbling up until it completely encased the entire area. Izuku’s breath hitched when someone began walking out of the black fog; a man with pale hair covered in hands. The awful feeling grew as more and more people began filling the previously empty plaza.

“Is this like the entrance exam? Did the lesson start without any warning?” Kirishima’s comment was barely heard over the blood pumping in Izuku’s ears. Aizawa-sensei’s reply was completely muffled, even as he jumped down the staircase, already throwing his capture weapon out.

Hitoshi’s grip grew stronger, moving the nauseous greenette into the middle of 1-A’s huddle. Thankfully, the feeling grew lesser over the time it took to be settled between Hitoshi and Katsuki, but this had the unfortunate timing of being right when the black fog from before suddenly appeared before the class.

“Greetings,” The black mist said. 1-A collectively tensed, and Izuku could see that Thirteen-sensei was worried. “We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves in to the home of the heroes, UA High School in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath.”

The previous tension grew tenfold and the greenette could feel Hitoshi shaking slightly against him.  _ ‘All Might? Kill him? But, how did they even know that he would be here; better yet, that  _ we _ would be here?’ _ Green eyes quickly scanned his classmates, watching as each one prepared in some way or another.

“I believe All Might should have been here,” the black mist’s voice cut through the silence; “Has there been some kind of change?”

_ ‘Change? That implies that he knew in the first place! How… The break-in two days ago!’ _

Yellow eyes appeared out of the mist, narrowing at the sight of the students. “Well, that is neither here nor there,” the mist man said flippantly. “This is the part I am to play.” The black mist that presumably made up the villain’s body grew larger, towering over the class. “I am to scatter you all, leaving you to be tortured to  _ death!” _

_ ‘Shit, shit, shit! No time, just-’ _ The green-haired Cardcaptor felt Hitoshi grab at his arm with both hands, keeping a firm hold on the younger teen. Yelps of fear and surprise coming from the black fog and the faint sound of Iida’s engines going off helped Izuku know that everyone was still okay.

Until his feet left the ground.

\-----

He was falling. He didn’t know from how high or even where he would land; if he was still inside the USJ was up for debate, but for now, he needed to stop his descent. Safely. Determined, the greenette grabbed onto his key;  _ “Release!” _ The familiar magic circle lit up beneath his feet as though he were standing as the staff grew into existence. Holding tightly, he drew a Card, throwing it down and activating it at the end of his staff;  _ “Float!” _

_ “Ah! Izuku!” _ The greenette looked around rapidly from his position a few meters from the ground, trying to find where Hitoshi’s voice came from.  _ ‘He was holding onto me, so he should be…’ _ He looked up, finding the flailing lavender-haired boy falling almost directly above him.

With a thought, Float activated on the brainwasher, bringing the two safely to the ground. “Thanks,” Hitoshi says. “Are you okay? You looked like you were gonna hurl for a few minutes.”

“Sorry,” he apologizes. “I just got really nauseous for some reason, and then the villains came, and now we’re stuck…” He looked around, finding collapsed buildings and crumbling concrete; “In the ruins zone? Why’d they keep us in the USJ?”

“Todoroki said that the reason why no alarms have gone off is that they blocked the sensors in the entire building, so it’d make sense if they kept us here, to stop the alarms outside from going off.” Izuku nodded with the assessment, and he pulled Card from his holster.

“If they separated us like this, then they probably have other villains waiting to attack.” He showed the Card to Hitoshi, wincing slightly at the sudden blanching of his face.

“Can’t we just...fight our way through?”

Izuku shook his head. “That might take too long, and I have a feeling that our classmates might need our help. If we fly our way out of here, it would completely mitigate the risk of fighting a villain.” Sighing, Hitoshi agreed, and so the Cardcaptor activated Fly. 

Unfurling his wings, Izuku picked his friend up below the arms; with three heavy downbeats, they were off, leaving mint green feathers in their wake through the air. They flew high above the entire area, a few meters from the glass ceiling as they scanned the USJ for any of their classmates. “It looks like everyone’s been transported to a different section,” Hitoshi relayed. “I think a few people were left by the entrance, and judging by the ice, Todoroki is in the...landslide zone, it looks like.”

“Right, okay,” Izuku nodded. Flapping his wings once in preparation, Izuku tossed Hitoshi into the air with no warning. The earned screech acted as a brief distraction for the villains in the center square--giving Aizawa-sensei a bit of breathing room--and a reminder to move fast. Grabbing the Card he wanted, he activated it, leaving Hitoshi floating level with his green-haired friend.

“I hate you so much right now,” Hitoshi said, clearly shaken up from the sudden toss. “Why’d you do that? I thought we were helping the others?”

“We are,” the greenette replied. “How many people can you hold in your quirk at a time?”

“...Almost thirty, last time I had the chance to check. Why?” His green-haired friend didn’t answer for a moment, quickly counting the remaining villains fighting against Aizawa-sensei. “Izuku. Why,” he asked again.

“You’re going to use your quirk when I use my Card, which will amplify your voice and hopefully get the villains surrounding sensei under your control.” Nodding shakily, the brainwasher and the Cardcaptor agreed to the plan.

_ “Voice!” _

_ “You guys are the dumbest group of villains to ever commit crime!” _

The lavender-haired teen’s shout got the villain’s attention alright. Replying cries of outrage and a few stray quirks tried to reach them, but the pair weren’t in any danger. Nodding once more, Hitoshi activated his quirk, and Izuku saw a large majority of the villains completely stop in their tracks.

“Just hold them. Don’t order them to do anything, and I’ll get help to our classmates.” Izuku waved to Hitoshi in farewell, leaving the brainwasher to nervously sit atop Float, only able to watch as his teacher seriously kicked ass.

“...God, I had heights…”

\-----

Shouta hated everything about this situation. The first thing that was of note, was the fact that Midoriya--his main problem child--was thrown into a villain attack while he was feeling sick. When Shouta had tried asking him questions, he’d just gone wide-eyed and alerted him to the newly arrived villains.

Then, as he was fighting the villains--who wrongly assumed he’d be useless without his quirk against the heteromorphic users--he blinked all too soon. Eraser Head ducked low under a punch, using his momentum to take out the attacker’s feet. The mist villain--the one whose quirk warped the villains into the USJ in the first place--had gotten away, leaving strike two on Shouta’s mood as he’d scattered his class.

The pro hero dodged around the various frozen villains, quickly reminding him about the third thing he hated about this scenario. Apparently, Midoriya got Shinsou up to the top of the USJ’s ceiling, floating him there. To make it even better, he’d amplified the other's brainwashing quirk with his  _ voice _ card, allowing the kid to brainwash a good handful of the villains. Not to be ungrateful or anything, it's just a problem when hero students start thinking they can handle villains before they were truly  _ ready _ .

Shouta kicked away the last villain he’d been attacking in that cluster.  _ ‘Alright. Take stock of the situation as it is.’ _ His eyes--hidden behind his goggles--scanned the area.  _ Roughly twenty-eight still under Shinsou’s brainwashing. A good thirty-seven still in fighting shape. Two standing in the back; a hand-mask villain who seems to be calling the shots, and…’ _

The other villain was big. About as big as All Might himself, if Shouta was being totally honest. The villain’s skin was a deep purple, probably even black; its brain was exposed, briefly making Shouta’s stomach turn when he first looked. Around the head was a yellow protrusion of bone, and its mouth looked to be beaked, but in a fucked up way. Like nature wasn’t working right when they were made.

Shouta went back into a fighting stance as more villains decided to try and rush him.  _ ‘Think about it later. Now, fight until backup arrives. Losing is not an option. Not with students on the line.’ _

\-----

“Come on, we’re gettin’ bored down here!” One of the villains cried. Katsuki huffed in agreement.

He, Shittyhair, and Frogger all landed together in the flood zone. The idiot villains were subpar in their plans, as they sent the girl with a  _ frog-based quirk _ to the  _ flood zone _ . If they knew anything at all she’d be in the fire zone, same with Katsuki himself. Fire and explosive sweat don’t mix. Shittyhair… He’d likely still be here, as his quirk is kind of useless right now.

“We need a plan,” Frogger said seriously. “I doubt that they will wait for much longer, even if they don’t know our quirks.” Shittyhair swallowed thickly at that, and Katsuki just scowled. “My quirk gives me various attributes of a frog, letting me jump far distances, extend my tongue nearly thirty meters, and secrete a paralytic mucus. I can also spit up my stomach to clean it.”

“That last one is shitty, Frogger. Not exactly going to beat the villains with your stomach, now, are you?” Frogger nodded, blinking away the insult. Sighing, because they were  _ sharing _ now, he went next. “I sweat  Nitroglycerin  from my palms and I can detonate it at will.  _ Unfortunately, _ the mist fucker made a good guess at sending me here, as the water wiped away most of my sweat. My explosions won’t be nearly big enough to do much help.”

_ ‘God, I can’t believe I said that. The fuck’s my life coming to.’ _

Shittyhair grinned, a false bravado to psyche himself up. “My quirk’s Hardening! According to Midobro, I harden my epidermal and dermal skin layers to give my skin a hardness of five!”

“You mean Midoriya-chan?” Shittyhair nodded.

“He also said that my mutation increases muscle density, giving me my apparent super strength. I’m not great at controlling it,” he admitted sheepishly, “but I’d be willing to sacrifice a limb to get us out of here!” His dumb grin was back full-force.

Katsuki frowned at that comment.  _ ‘That’d just leave you incapacitated and a liability afterward, Shittyhair.’ _ “Whatever,” he said gruffly. “Frogger, how close could you get to the shore with one of your jumps?”

Frogger put a finger to her chin in thought. “Approximately just over halfway, I’d guess.”  _ ‘Alright. That might work.’ _

“Shittyhair, you’re going to use that same move you pulled in sensei’s quirk test; aim at the center of the cluster to cause a slight vacuum in the water, making all these shitheads get pulled into the whirlpool.” The redhead grinned viciously, making his way to the edge, but waiting for a signal.  _ ‘Good. Smart.’ _

“Frogger,” Katsuki addressed the green-haired girl; “When Shittyhair lets that burst out, you’ll have to jump after him quickly. I’ll follow behind, so once you’ve gotten ahold of him, grab me with your tongue and I’ll blast us to the shore.”

She nodded, and Katsuki let a manic grin overtake his face.  _ ‘Wanted some fun? You asked for it!’ _

\-----

Izuku was just coming back from where he’d helped Ojirou and Aoyama in the fire zone when a  _ boom _ sounded from the flood zone. He watched, wide-eyed as Kirishima, Katsuki, and Tsu flew away from the large plume of water that the grinning redhead no doubt caused.  _ ‘Looks like they’ll be fine,’ _ he thought,  _ ‘but just in case…’ _

Pulling out The Freeze, the green-haired Cardcaptor froze the villains in the water structure, ensuring that his classmates wouldn’t be targeted from behind as they tried to get to the entrance. Nodding to himself, he flew off to the mountain zone, chasing the sounds of crackling electricity.

\-----

“Sorry it took so long,” Momo said to her classmates. Jirou and Kaminari turned to her as the large insulated sheet popped out the back of her costume; “The twelve millimeter’s thick sheet of rubber took a while, but it’s ready now.” Jirou, ever quick on the uptake, ran to get under the sheet, the pair hunkering down to let it completely cover them.

Kaminari, still jittery from the surrounding villains, asked, “Why would you make that?! A gun would work so much better!” He flinched as another villain fell to his electricity.

“A gun would break too many laws,” Jirou yelled. “It’s an insulator, so you can go all out!” Kaminari’s yellow eyes widened in realization. Sending the teen one last thumbs up, Jirou and Momo ducked under the sheet, just in time to hear:

“Indiscriminate Shock: One-point-Three Million Volts!” Momo felt the hairs on her arms raise as the smell of ozone filled the air. For a full ten seconds Kaminari’s attack went on, and the sounds of villains collapsing filled the air alongside the crackle of electricity. After the attack ended, Momo lifted the sheet, finding her classmate completely vulnerable.

Jirou sighed from beside her. “He can be so powerful, only to turn into a blubbering idiot half the time.” Momo felt a slight grin form on her face, not vocalizing her agreement.  _ ‘Kaminari is a skilled partner, but he should practice control more often.’ _

Utilizing her quirk, she prepared a child leash as to keep a hold on Kaminari while he was still incapacitated. Just as she was going to try and secure him, another villain sprouted from the ground causing her and Jirou to step back.

Momo reached for her quirk, mentally building a tranq gun even as she remained motionless. The villain was just about to reach for Kaminari when a shout filled the air;  _ “Power!” _ Momo blinked in surprise when Midoriya came from the sky, drop-kicking the villain away.

“Midoriya,” Jirou exclaimed in surprise. “What the  _ hell _ was that?!” Their green-haired powerhouse raised a hand to rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Ah, just the quickest way to get him away from Kaminari? Sorry, you guys probably had a plan, and I just ruined it.” Momo shook her head.

“No, Midoriya, it’s fine. My plan wasn’t that much different than yours anyway,” she said. Smiling as her classmate nodded, she finally got to place the leash on Kaminari, giving the handle to Jirou.

“Is...is he okay? Why’s he just standing there?” Midoriya asked.

Jirou flicked Kaminari in the nose, sighing when the only response was the blond saying: “Whey.” She shook her head, “He used his quirk too much, fried his brain.” The hearing girl then paused, before giving Midoriya an appraising look. “You don’t have a card that controls electricity, do you?”

To Momo’s surprise, he nodded, pulling out The Thunder. “Does he need a recharge,” the teen joked, and Jirou snorted, nodding.

Momo couldn’t help but be amazed when Midoriya summoned a Raijū. But what took the cake was how Kaminari walked right up to it, saying, “Puppy,” while he petted its electric fur.

\-----

Hitoshi grimaced as he felt another of his connections snap. Looking down-- _ ‘Oh God, that’s not a good idea, shit!’ _ \--brought the sight of his teacher kicking more of his brainwashed villains down, taking them completely out of the fight.

Already, the large group in the plaza was almost gone. After Hitoshi had brainwashed the thirty or so villains that he could with Izuku’s card, Aizawa-sensei had mainly focused on the non-affected ones, leaving him with just a few conscious and more unconscious villains.

Hitoshi sucked in a breath when he saw the hand-fucker guy scratch at his neck.  _ ‘That can’t be pleasant… Then again, he doesn’t exactly seem to be completely present, either, so…’ _ The lavender-haired teen continued observing Aizawa-sensei fight, but every so often his eyes would slide back to the two villains in the back.

The hand-guy was a no-brainer for being dangerous. He’s the ringleader. The purple mist-fucker was his second in command, spreading out the fighting force that the “League of Villains” brought with them and separating the class. But then there’s the big guy.

Purple-black skin, yellow beak, and a completely exposed brain. Yeah, that’s not the type of person Hitoshi ever wanted to fight. He didn’t seem to move, or offer any input; just stood there. Waiting. For what, Hitoshi didn’t know.  _ ‘I hope that Izuku-’ _

Hitoshi startled badly when a loud  _ boom _ sounded behind him; his hold on the remaining brainwashed villains broke, meaning that the required stimulus to break from his hold was smaller, meaning they woke up after their own hair hit their shoulders.  _ ‘Fucking shit,’ _ Hitoshi thinks, watching Aizawa-sensei get attacked by more villains.

Turning his head brought the sight of a large ice sculpture rising out of the flood zone.  _ ‘More like the  _ ice zone _ now.’ _ The brainwashing teen idly watches his green-haired friend fly towards the mountain zone, likely chasing the electricity that just flared up over there.

He looked down again, back to the flood zone just in time to see the trio of Asui, Kirishima, and Bakugou walk to the plaza’s edge. The three seemed to be saying something, what with the way Bomb Boy made exaggerated movements and Kirishima shaking his head. Eventually, their conversation ended, and Asui led the way towards the entrance stairs.

_ ‘Right. That’s where the others were headed.’ _ Hitoshi watched as the trio met up with Ojirou and Aoyama, walking up the large stairs to where Thirteen-sensei was fighting the mist villain.

Movement caught his eye, and turning let him see Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Kaminari, some  _ thunder dog _ , and Izuku walking at the base of the mountains. He watched as their class president seemed to negotiate with the card-quirked boy, before walking the trio--and dog--to the stairs. Izuku looked up and waved, then flew to meet him again.

“Izuku, I swear to fuck, if you do not get me down from here I will kill you.” The greenette gives him a sheepish grin, but Hitoshi didn’t care that much right now. He wanted down.

“Sorry, Hitoshi. I got most everyone away, and Yaoyorozu said that she was going to convince Todoroki to head to the entrance while I came here.” Looking down revealed that, yes, the creation-quirked girl was marching the heterochromatic boy, even if he looked like he wanted to protest. “Let’s get down, that way sensei doesn’t have to worry, okay?” Like before, Izuku carried Hitoshi from his arms, flying fast as they approached where the rest of their class were.

Unfortunately, this meant that the pair had a front-row seat to Thirteen-sensei getting hurt from their own quirk. They both cried out, something that was echoed by their classmates, but before anything worse could happen, Uraraka, Shouji, Sero threw the mist villain away; They sighed when Iida got out, and when the mist villain warped away.

Landing, Katsuki scoffed in greeting, but Hitoshi knew that he wasn’t glaring at him, instead, taking a watch against any pragmatic villains. The lavender-haired boy approached the group crowding Thirteen, ready to help them in any way.

“Shinsou,” Yaoyorozu said. She was looking distinctly pale, but her quirk was working steadily to produce common first aid materials. “Do you have any practice performing first aid? Ashido is already helping, but we need another pair of hands.”

The teen nodded. “Yeah, I can help.” The black-haired girl nodded, thankful as she handed him some gauze, instructing him on how to help their sensei. The trio worked together shakily; they were all distinctly afraid, but they needed to help keep Thirteen as safe as they could, and first aid is the best means. 

“Where did Midoriya go, Shinsou?” Yaoyorozu looked at him with expectant eyes, and Hitoshi frowned on impulse.

The brainwasher looked around, scanning the class that was in varying states of panic or shock. He ignored them for the most part, trying to find his friend. His  _ impulsive _ and  _ recklessly heroic _ friend--if today was any indication. He looked by the stairs, letting out a relieved sigh when he saw Izuku standing there.

He didn’t like the way he seemed to be fixated on the large, beaked villain in the back. Setting his last bandage, Yaoyorozu nodded her thanks before she left to hand out rolls of bandages for the others. Taking the opportunity, Hitoshi made his way beside the greenette. “What do you think? I know you’re not just taking watch,” he said.

Izuku didn’t look his way; “I’m just worried,” he replied. “I know sensei is strong, but I can’t help but think we’re missing something. The warping villain said they were here to get All Might…” Green eyes met Hitoshi’s and the brainwasher stilled at the intensity. “They wouldn’t have come if they didn’t actually believe they could kill him. So where is it?”

Hitoshi couldn’t say. So the pair continued to watch as their sensei kicked major ass, even with the villains out of his mind control.

\-----

Shouta grimaced as his foot connected solidly with another grunt’s face.  _ ‘God, my eyes burn,’ _ he thought, ducking under an errant punch aimed his way. Activating his quirk, he glared at a trio of villains, watching as they floundered without the use of their quirks. He made quick work wrapping them in his capture scarf;  _ ‘These guys are going down too easily. They have the skills of a villain I might find on patrol. But  _ those _ three…’ _

Shouta’s thoughts trailed off as he and the hand-mask villain stared at one another.  _ ‘They’re the ones to watch out for. Especially the hand bastard, the  _ final boss, _ or whatever he’d called it.’ _ Eraserhead jumped into the air, wrapping the last two villains not part of the “main three” together, swinging them high before slamming them into the ground, removing them from the upcoming fight.

“...Seventeen,” the hand villain said quietly. A hand came up to scratch at his neck, and Shouta felt that he was being watched closely. “You know, Eraser Head, I think I’ve figured out your tell.” The pro flinched back at the sudden, unexpected speed that the villain used to get close. He leaned back as a hand swiped at his goggles, slinging his capture weapon around the villain even as a hand grabbed at his elbow.

“Your hair rises and falls whenever you activate Erasure, and the time between activations has gotten longer.” A bead of sweat formed at Shouta’s brow as he felt his quirk strain his eyes. Hand villain smirked like the cat that got the cream when he had to blink, gasping at the sudden pain in his elbow. Kicking the villain away, Shouta glanced at the joint, finding the skin flaking off to reveal the muscle beneath.

“But you’re wrong, Eraser Head. I’m not the final boss in this encounter.” Shouta tensed when the villain gestured to the large, beaked villain that hadn’t done anything but watch up until then. “Nomu, get him.”

Shouta instantly activated Erasure, staring wide-eyed as the Nomu appeared right in front of him.  _ ‘But his quirk! He’s just that fast?!’ _ Shouta didn’t have the chance to get away before a yell of pain passed his lips; the Nomu shattering his right arm in its vice grip.

Eraser Head continued using Erasure on the Nomu creature, even as he was being raised by his shattered limb. “Meet our Nomu, the bioengineered anti-symbol of peace.” The hand villain laughed giddily; “Crush him, Nomu!”

\-----

“Crush him, Nomu!”

Izuku ignored Hitoshi’s warning, running down the stairs; he pulled a Card he never wanted to willingly use against a living being, but Aizawa-sensei is in danger and might die if he didn’t do something!  _ “Erase the Nomu,” _ he yelled, activating the Card in his sprint to make it to his teacher’s side.

The nauseating feeling from before came back with a vengeance but the green-haired teen paid it no mind, dashing to place himself between the injured form of his teacher and the shocked villain. “Are you okay, sensei?”

Izuku brandished his staff, hand coming down to rest by his Cards in case the villain tried to do anything. He could hear Aizawa-sensei moving his capture scarf around, likely wrapping his arm in a make-shift sling, but he made no motion to move away, even when the hand villain began frantically scratching at his neck, thin lines of blood dripping down his fingers.

“You! You weren’t supposed to do that! The Nomu was for All Might; it was made to tank his high strength stat! It didn’t have any special defense against your...your  _ magic!” _ The Cardcaptor didn’t let the comment phase him, only gripping his staff tighter. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate-!”

“Shigaraki Tomura,” the mist villain from the beginning interrupted. Shigaraki--as he’d been addressed--froze mid-scratch, looking at his partner. “A student managed to get away, and with this new development, I suggest we make a tactical retreat before the heroes arrive.”

Shigaraki sighed, suddenly not freaking out. “Kurogiri, were you not our warp I’d kill you right here and now.” He glared at Aizawa and Izuku, pointing at the greenette; “You weren’t supposed to do that. And now I have no Nomu.” Aizawa-sensei tensed beside Izuku.

“I’m going to kill you for that.”

\-----

Yagi Toshinori sighed deeply. He was supposed to be with his class, helping teach them the art of saving civilians during natural disasters, but instead… Instead, he was a fool, wasting his time butting in on situations that were in the process of being solved. Nedzu was sure to include that point at least four times in his “meeting” once he arrived. He shivered at the piercing way Nedzu looked at him sometimes. Much too reminiscent of Gran.

Shoving that thought from his head, All Might quickly “buffed up” into his hero form as Iida came running down the dirt path. The same path that leads to the USJ facility, and where he should be right now.

“All Might,” the young Iida cried. “All Might, there’s an attack on the USJ!” Yagi had to fight against a frown; the students didn’t need to see that. “Thirteen-sensei was injured, and the last I know of, Aizawa-sensei was fighting against a large group of villains!” Amendment; Yagi frowned full force before he was angrily scowling. Young Iida seemed to jump back at the sudden shift in his expression, but that didn’t matter right now.

“Young Iida, continue on and alert the other staff members inside the school. I’ll go on ahead and ensure the safety of your classmates.” The engine-quirked teen saluted, sprinting down the path that Yagi had just come from. Turning to the USJ, Yagi grimaced.

_ ‘My recklessness caused this,’ _ he thought, running at high speeds in his haste to arrive before the unthinkable happened. He broke down the USJ doors with a single punch, tearing off his tie as he stepped into the building; various cries from his young students filled the air and he frowned in full at their fear.  _ ‘But I’ll fix it.’ _

“It’s okay, now!”

“Why?”

“Because _ I _ am here!”

\-----

After All Might’s arrival, everything was a blur for the green-haired Cardcaptor. He was at the receiving end of Shigaraki’s threat one second, and the next, he and Aizawa-sensei were standing with the rest of 1-A. With the sudden wave of relief that flooded the greenette’s system, he couldn’t find it in himself to completely focus on the situation. Aizawa said he was going through shock, but his voice was fading and the words were muddled.

Something loud rang out, but if it was a word or anything addressed to him, Izuku didn’t understand. Something purple entered his field of vision and his mind distantly thought  _ ‘Hitoshi?’ _ He blinked slowly at the shape, trying to focus, but it wasn't working. Something grabbed his arm, but the sensation made him feel like he was underwater or wearing a thick coat.

The colors changed slowly, but he couldn't quite register what he was seeing. Someone was probably trying to talk to him--A small yellow blob appeared in his face and a new sound filled his ears, but it wasn’t quite making its way to his brain. The sound stopped and Izuku felt himself moving, likely getting pulled along as he wasn’t in any shape to walk around properly.

It might have been two minutes, could have been thirty for all the greenette knew, but eventually, the world started to come back into focus. First, it was the sounds; distant conversations, and a few birds chirping. Then came his sense of touch; a blanket over his shoulders and something hard underneath him. The heaviness of the blanket brought back his sight much quicker, allowing Izuku to finally see that he was outside the USJ, sitting on the bumper of an ambulance.

“Are you with me, Midoriya?” Izuku looked to where the voice came from, finding Detective Tsukauchi giving him a small smile. He nodded slowly in response and the detective handed him a cup of water. “How are you feeling?”

Izuku drained the cup quickly, breathing deeply before trying to answer. “I feel like I could be sick, pass out, and simultaneously stay up for hours.” Tsukauchi snorted at the blunt comment. “I feel like Kero would be having it…” Green eyes widened in realization and panic;  _ “Kero! _ Tsukauchi-san, where is he?! I haven’t seen him since the beginning of the attack, and I don’t know where he is or if he’s hurt!”

The detective grabbed onto the panicking teen’s shoulders; “Woah! Midoriya, it’s okay, he’s fine,” he assured. “Kero was found with your classmates Tokoyami and Kouda in the downpour zone. He wasn’t hurt.”

The tension that had been building suddenly drained from the young Cardcaptor’s form. “Sorry… Was anyone else hurt?” He asked.

Tsukauchi sighed. “Other than Ojiro and Aoyama’s light burns, Kirishima is the only other person injured out of your class, and that’s with a broken finger.” Izuku nodded, and he didn’t even need to ask his next question before the detective was answering it; “Eraser Head is ultimately fine, only having the broken arm. Thirteen… They got hit with their own quirk, but it was short, so they should be back to teaching within a week.”

The greenette sighed at the news. “That’s good… That’s good.”

“Now, before I can let you go, I need to take your statement about what happened. I don’t need specifics if you can’t tell me just yet, but anything would be helpful.” The green-haired hero student nodded, and the two went through the whole story.

\-----

“Thank you, Midoriya.” Naomasa closed his notepad, tucking it and the pen he used into his coat’s pockets. “I know that it means little, but I know you’ll make a good hero if this is any indication.” The detective gives the green-haired teen a wry grin; “Only if you get a handle on your cards.”

Midoriya scoffed at the joke, smiling at the familiarity after the attack. “I’m sure I’ll get it under control by graduation.”

“Right,” Naomasa comments. “Now, most of your classmates and teachers are already back at the main campus. Since you’ve just been attacked, you need to be accompanied back to get your things, and then call your mother to be picked up. Are you ready to go now?” Green eyes looked up at him and he sighed at the upcoming question.  _ “Yes _ , Kero is already there and waiting. He wanted to stay with you, but your friends convinced him to follow them to UA.”

Naomasa led the green-haired teen into his police cruiser, letting him sit in the front as they drove down the road back to UA proper.

“This is probably a...weird question, but did any of the other officers in the precinct make any more bets when you got the call?” Naomasa blinked at the not-as-random-as-it-should-be question.

“Why,” he asked skeptically. Midoriya looked away, fiddling with his fingers.

“Well, I was just wondering. Last time with The Erase, Tajima-san made that bet with Nagai-san, and it was really funny. I was hoping I would have something to joke about the next time I show up,” Midoriya said honestly. Naomasa had to fight a sigh at his coworker’s antics.

“Of course you think there’ll be a next time. I understand what Eraser Head meant when he called you a problem child.” The teen ducked his head, ears reddening at the tips. “But you were right. Kuno-san and Nagai-san made a bet whether your cards were involved in the incident.” The detective blinked in thought; “Now that I’m remembering, I’m pretty sure Kuno-san owes Nagai-san a lunch date,” he said with a light chuckle.

\-----

Naomasa and Midoriya stood at the front doors of UA; the detective was frowning while trying to call one of the already present faculty members to let them in. For some reason, the doors were locked, leaving the two stuck outside.

“Um… Tsukauchi-san?”

Naomasa ended the call, looking at the green-haired teen beside him. “I thought I told you to drop the formalities?” Midoriya gave a nod. “What’s up?”

The teen blinked, then turned to the door. “I think...one of my Cards is locking us out.”

Naomasa looked between the teen and the doors, frowning at the unfortunate timing of Midoriya’s challenges. “Do you have any idea on how to stop it? It won’t become violent, right?” Midoriya shook his head.

“No, but I think I might pass out afterward. I’ve used too many Cards as is today, but I can’t just leave it.”

The detective frowned but knew that he had a point. Giving his consent, Midoriya walked to the door, inserting his quirk’s key into the keyhole. Moments later a green padlock with a star design and gold accents popped out of the keyhole.  _ ‘A... _ lock _ locked the door. Who knew.’ _

Naomasa was just about to ask how the green-haired teen was planning on dealing with the rapidly moving card when a sudden flash filled his vision. Not even a second later and a collapsing Midoriya was holding tightly onto the newly-made card.

Naomasa sighed, shaking his head as he had to carry the unconscious teen to Recovery Girl’s office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Edited 3/9/2021] 11,002 words--29 pages  
> Hey, sorry about not putting a beginning note. I was trying to be funny and foreboding, but I don't know if it worked out well or not. Trying for that "Dreaded Monday" vibe.
> 
> Um, yeah! So, this was the USJ. I had a /billion/ plans for how this could go down, but I ultimately decided on this! I hope this wasn't, like- a disappointment or something, because I like to think it went well. It was a bit touch-and-go there for a while, but I got it to where it made sense...I hope. (I will say it's not perfect, so apologies for those expecting something grand. Sorry.) I know it was probably annoying that I didn't fully explain transitions, but I thought it was cool, like how episodes "cut" between action sequences. LMK if it was okay, and I'll either do it better or not at all.  
> [Downpour- Tokoyami, Kouda, and Kero  
> Flood- Asui, Bakugou, and Kirishima  
> Fire- Ojirou and Aoyama  
> Mountain- Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Kaminari  
> Landslide-Tokoyami and Hagakure  
> Ruins- Midoriya and Shinsou  
> Entrance- Iida, Uraraka, Sato, Sero, Shouji, and Ashido]
> 
> Things to note:  
> The "quirk counseling" scene with Kirishima and Izu; planned for a while, but I was originally going to have it after the USJ. I thought it fit here, so I made it happen. (Inspired by Uru's "break". Again, like every other time.) This is his first response since he doesn't know that Kirishima's "mutation" is actually OFA given by All Might. Doesn't have that perspective, and so, he gives advice straight out. "You break bones by stressing them by only using that one limb. Try not to do that, and here's an idea to try sometime." [Kirishima's quirk breakdown was just something that I've thought of for a while. It might not make sense--perfectly--but it works, yeah?]
> 
> When I transitioned to Snipe's chemistry lesson, my brain immediately went: "Remember when you were looking at a bunch of acids and superacids - because, what else are you supposed to do with your spare time - and it was like; "It'd be so fucked if Izuku were to ever use The Create to, just- create a Super Soaker filled with fluoroantimonic acid and sprayed the villains with it, yeah?" I love my brain sometimes, y'know?
> 
> Asui's verbal tic, "/kero/", and her conversation with Izuku were very fun to write. Specifically “Apologies, Kero, /kero/.” Love that line so much. Makes me laugh.  
> (When writing "a Ouiji board", I feel like it makes more sense to write "a" rather than "an" because when pronouncing it in your head or out loud, it makes more sense; "A we-gee board" VS. "An we-gee board," see? IDK if that makes sense.)
> 
> I'm giving Thirteen a civilian name. Space Hero: Thirteen. Civilian name: Hirooki Anakuro (穴黒央宙, literally "Middle Space") Brought to you by a lazy author using the prototype name found on the wiki! Woo! Makes my job easier! (Basic, but useful.)
> 
> Izuku's actions at the USJ will not be looked over. Erasing the Nomu, unfortunately, will bring a talk with Nedzu and Tsukauchi during school. Erasing "people" from existence isn't exactly condoned by heroes. Also, this means that the only proof that UA has of AFO being alive is word-of-mouth from Shigaraki and Aizawa. Repercussions.
> 
> (Interesting note: I was originally going to have All Might hesitate to save Izuku after getting attacked by Shigaraki because All Might is sus of Izu's quirk and he'd be "with" the enemy. The second draft had Izu trying to cut the Nomu's arms off while it was holding Aizawa, but when All Might barges in and distracts Izu in his swing, Kurogiri would warp Aizawa into the sword's path. All Might would be like "I knew it!" and punch Izu away, fight the Nomu, and then Nedzu and Tsukauchi would deal with the consequences of that punch. but, those were a bit too dark for me. Hopefully, this ending is okay.)
> 
> So! That was the chapter and all its little tidbits! A little bit of a different feel with this one, as expected of the USJ, but UA gets on the upswing quite quickly!
> 
> Again, I hope that you enjoyed it, and if you wouldn't mind commenting your favorite parts, theories about what might happen now, or even crack concepts that you find funny!  
> I'll see you guys again next week!
> 
> Bye!  
> [Edit: Added sections with Hitoshi and Aizawa to make the story flow better and add more context.]


End file.
